The first ILO/CEPR/IGC/GSEM Conference on Labour Markets in Developing Countries will be held in Geneva from 9-10 May 2019 at the headquarters of the ILO. The Conference is jointly organised by CEPR, IGC, ILO and the Institute of Economics and Econometrics at the GSEM-University of Geneva.

General Motors and the largest union representing Canada’s auto workers have reached a deal to partly rescue an auto plant in Ontario slated to close this year by converting it to a parts-stamping facility, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The unemployment rate in India edged up to 7.6% in April, up from 6.7% in March, and the highest rate since October 2016, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

According to Reuters, the April figures could spell trouble for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a general election that will end on 19 May, with opposition parties criticising the government over weak farm prices and low jobs growth.

“The lower unemployment rate in March was a blip, and it has again climbed following the trend of earlier months,” Mahesh Vyas, head CMIE, told Reuters.

The CMIE said in a report released in January that nearly 11 million people lost their jobs in 2018 after the demonetisation of high-value banknotes in late 2016, and the chaotic launch of a new goods and services tax in 2017, hit millions of small businesses.

India’s government recently withheld jobs data because officials said they needed to check its veracity. The government usually only releases official unemployment data every five years.

Following a leak which showed the jobless rate in 2017/2018 rose to its highest level in at least 45 years, India has said it will now release jobs data once a year.

Randstad published its list of the most attractive companies to work for in 2019 for Hong Kong, crowning CLP Power (China Light and Power) Hong Kong with the top spot.

This is CLP Power Hong Kong Limited’s third time taking the number one spot as the Most Attractive Employer in Hong Kong in the past five years, thereby entering Randstad’s global ‘Hall of Fame’, which honours companies for their strong consecutive performance in employer branding.

Randstad’s survey polled 3,731 employees and jobseekers who are based in Hong Kong. The research explores workers perceptions of employer brands and provides an understanding of the motivation factors of employees and job seekers.

The top three most attractive companies to work for in 2019 were rounded out by The Hong Kong & China Gas Company (Towngas) and Swire Properties.

Natellie Sun, Managing Director at Randstad Hong Kong, commented, “We would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the 2019 winners of the Randstad’s Employer Brand Awards for their consistent effort in building and delivering a strong and attractive employer brand in Hong Kong.”

“Companies are recognising the long-term benefits of employer branding, as they can have access to a larger talent pool and benefit from lower turnover and quicker hiring of quality candidates. We hope that the Randstad Employer Brand Research will continue to provide insights to our valued clients on how to engage with in-demand job seekers and valued employees to stay competitive in today’s tight labour environment,” Sun said.

Under a new law, first-time job applicants in the Philippines no longer have to pay fees for government documents required for employment, reports Rappler. President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11261 or the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act on 10 April which was made public yesterday. Under the new law, national and local government entities must not collect fees from first-time job seekers when they apply for government documents needed for employment in the country or abroad. However, there are exceptions to the law which include an application to take a professional licensure examination (for certain occupations as regulated by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), application for a passport authentication, application for a career service examination and application for a driver’s license.

With a multibillion-dollar settlement looming for Facebook over user privacy violations, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg met with U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss legislation to protect users of the social network, officials said.

Nestle, the world’s largest packaged food company, said it plans to abandon direct-store delivery of frozen pizza and ice cream in the United States, a move that will cut 4,000 jobs.

Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick used to tell investors he liked to keep his company teetering between order and chaos.

South Africans haven’t seen much change on key issues — such as corruption — and this will likely be on their minds Wednesday as they vote.

Jet Airways’ pilots’ union has appealed to India’s top court to direct State Bank Of India (SBI) to release interim funding to try to revive the grounded airline, according to a court filing made on Tuesday which was reviewed by Reuters.