Australia raises permanent migration numbers amid labour squeeze
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will increase its permanent immigration numbers by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current financial year as it looks to shift its focus toward long-term migrants, bringing some relief for businesses battling widespread staff shortages. Australia closed its borders for about two years during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but those strict […]
A year after Taliban’s return, some women fight for lost freedoms
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Monesa Mubarez is not going to give up the rights she and other Afghan women won during 20 years of Western-backed rule easily. Before the hardline Islamist Taliban movement swept back to power a year ago, the 31-year-old served as a director of policy monitoring at the finance ministry. She was one of […]
Pandemic sends 4.7 million more people into extreme poverty in South-East Asia – ADB
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters The pandemic added 4.7 million more people to Southeast Asia’s most extreme poor in 2021, reversing gains made in fighting poverty, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday, while urging governments to take steps to boost economic growth. The number of people in extreme poverty – defined as those living on less […]
Religious discrimination legislation back before Australian parliament
Sydney, Australia Legislation protecting Australians’ right to practice their religion comes before federal parliament as the Autumn session begins in the capital Canberra today. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told media earlier today that the Religious Discrimination Bill will provide security to people of all faiths to worship freely. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, pictured here […]
Essay: The shape of jobs in 2022
MAL FLETCHER, chairman of UK-based thinktank 2030plus, looks at how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the shape of work…
In Australian state of Victoria, Christian schools to meet with government on proposed LGBTIQ+ protection legislation
Updated: 6pm (AEDT)Sydney, Australia Christian schools will meet with Victorian Government representatives in two weeks to state their case on proposed legislation to protect LGBTIQ+ people from discrimination in employment. The State Government says its planned reforms will “strike a balance” between freedom of religion and equality for the LGBTIQ+ community, to prevent schools from […]
Switching off?: Right to disconnect gains ground as pandemic brings work home
As many people work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, UMBERTO BACCHI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on a renewed push for employees to have the right to disconnect…
Working from home during pandemic found widening US inequality
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Longstanding inequalities in the US labour market have worsened amid the coronavirus pandemic with working from home fuelling the divide, according to a Gallup report released on Wednesday. Gallup surveyed more than 7,700 US adults in the final quarter of 2020, with the findings showing that pandemic-related job losses […]
Explainer: Can my employer make me get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Thomson Reuters Foundation After widespread disruption caused by COVID-19 in 2020, businesses around the world hope the roll-out of vaccines this year can accelerate a return to normal. To speed things up, some are even incentivising their staff to get vaccinated. Dollar General Corp, Instacart and Trader Joe’s in the United States are paying frontline employees to […]
Post-pandemic, will offices and factories become “places men go”?
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Office life will be different after COVID-19, with desks far apart, Plexiglass barriers and a health warning on handshakes. But the biggest change could be a notable absence of women. Once the pandemic eases sufficiently for workers to return to their desks and factory floors, women are more likely […]