Job Market Monitor
Michel Cournoyer
Ireland – GlaxoSmithKline reversing plan to close plant: 120 jobs saved
Global pharmaceutical and healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reversed a decision to shut a plant run by one of its subsidiaries, saving over 100 jobs. The Stiefel facility in Co Sligo will remain open with an investment of €10m and initially retaining 120 of the 180 staff. It had been due to close next year… … Continue reading
India – Vocational Education – Fastly losing student interest
Over the last five years, the number of enrolments to minimum competency vocational courses for class 12 across streams has slid— it was 10% of the 2008 figure. Five years ago, 64,531 students enrolled for vocational streams and this reduced to 58,271 this year. The vocational stream offers courses under commerce, engineering, medical and allied … Continue reading
Canada – Trade Union slams ‘mass importation’ of Chinese workers for B.C. coal mine
A major B.C. labour organization denounced on Monday the “mass importation” of Chinese workers to mine coal in the northeast part of the province, saying it is “preposterous” to suggest British Columbians don’t have the skills to fill close to 2,000 full-time jobs destined for foreign workers. “We want to register our grave concerns about … Continue reading
Autralia – Another Qld coal miner to cut 400 jobs
A central Queensland coal mining company has announced it will cut more than 40 per cent of its workforce to try and cope with declining market conditions. Ensham Resources says the workforce at its open cut operations near Emerald, west of Rockhampton, will be cut from 900 to 500. It says the vast majority of … Continue reading
EU – Trade Unions – Austerity and industrial policy ‘absolutely contradictory’
Trade unions say the European Commission’s new industrial policy must be followed up with concrete actions. The European Commission published a communication on industrial policy last week, attempting to re-launch manufacturing industry and calling fora “new industrial revolution” in Europe. The industry is ready to lead the revolution, but it needs the right instruments, European … Continue reading
Colorado – Vestas cuts 200 more jobs
Vestas has continued its US restructuring programme and cut 200 jobs at its Windsor, Colorado blade manufacturing plant. In all, Vestas chief executive Ditlev Engel has said the company would cut 1,600 jobs if the production tax credit (PTC) was not renewed. The 200 job losses at Windsor represent 29% of the plant’s workforce. The … Continue reading
US – Latin American and Caribbean Women are Better Educated but get Lower Paid
Despite recent gains, the wage gap between men and women in Latin America still prevails, according to a new Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study entitled “New Century, Old Disparities,” which compares surveys of representative households in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The study was released at the POWER Conference, a high-level meeting of experts … Continue reading
Unemployment – Hurts more than just the Unemployed
High unemployment has negative spillovers for most of those still at work. In a labor market like ours, with low unionization rates, bargaining clout for many in the workforce is very much a function of the unemployment rate. Excess labor supply over labor demand typically puts downward pressure on both nominal and real wages. The … Continue reading
US – Offshoring and middle-income workers
New evidence on the relationship between offshoring and polarisation In a new working paper, Lindsay Oldenski documents an empirical link between offshoring and the polarisation of the US labour market (Oldenski 2012). This study, which will be presented in November at both the Empirical Investigations in International Trade conference in Santa Cruz and the US Department of … Continue reading
China – Job losses may be looming
Recent economic data such as stronger-than-expected exports and benign inflation in September are the latest signs that China’s slowdown may be nearing an end, reducing pressure on the government to implement more stimulus measures to shore up the world’s second-biggest economy. However, some observers are now concerned about a less-cited economic indicator – employment – … Continue reading
UK – Pension – Reforms ‘could cut retirement income’
Workers who switch jobs several times could lose up to a quarter of their potential pension funds under proposed reforms, critics have warned. The new system of automatic enrolment into pensions means that an increasing number of workers will have savings for their retirement. However, with the average employee changing jobs 11 times during their … Continue reading
Philippines – Sunpower to cut 900 jobs
Solar panel maker SunPower Corp said it will restructure its Philippines manufacturing operations and cut about 900 jobs, citing challenging industry conditions. The company said it will temporarily idle six of its 12 lines at its cell manufacturing plant and 20 percent of its panel manufacturing in the Philippines to reduce inventory, lower operational costs … Continue reading
France – Layoffs – Vivendi, STMicro Revamp Face Hollande’s Scrutiny
Vivendi SA (VIV) and STMicroelectronics SA (STM), each considering a reorganization to boost their competitiveness, face a hurdle as French President Francois Hollande struggles to keep an election pledge on job creation. Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg is today hosting STMicroelectronics Chairman Didier Lombard at Bercy, the sprawling 1980’s government complex in eastern Paris. The meeting … Continue reading
US – Amazon : Hiring 50,000 seasonal workers
It’s only October, but companies like Amazon are already thinking about the holidays. The online retailer is the latest to announce its seasonal hiring plan, and it’s significant: 50,000 jobs in the United States Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) currently employs 20,000 people at its 40 fulfillment centers across the country, where the seasonal employees will … Continue reading
China – The Growing Inequalities
“The China’s income gap becomes an increasingly serious problem at the present stage” write Lei SUN and Ying-jun SUN in Analysis on China’s Income Distribution at the Present Stage. (Chosen excepts by JMM to follow) It appears not only between the urban and rural residents, but also among different fields, different areas and so on. The … Continue reading
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