New Zealand recorded the worst inflation-adjusted wage growth of any OECD country over the last five years, according to a recent employment outlook report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Real wages in New Zealand fell 6.4% below 2021 levels, leaving workers significantly worse off despite nominal pay increases. OECD Data Shows New … Read more
Wilson Parking is currently pursuing legal action in the Christchurch Employment Court against a former employee, alleging he breached a restraint of trade clause by establishing a competing venture, ATE Property. The company claims the former manager secured short-term lease agreements for sites shortly before his resignation in August 2023 to facilitate his new business, … Read more
Unemployed women who begin taking GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic or Wegovy experience a 27% increase in their employment rate within 18 months, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Harvard economist Rebecca Diamond, who analyzed survey data from over 10,000 adults, found that these gains appear tied to … Read more
BNZ employees are facing a reduction in workplace perks, including the loss of low-equity home loan premium waivers, according to the Workers First Union. While the bank maintains that its most popular benefits remain in place, union representatives describe the cuts as part of a broader, long-term industry trend of eroding staff financial benefits. Why … Read more
Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4 per cent in May, down from 4.5 per cent in April, according to seasonally adjusted data. While 40,300 additional people secured employment, the trend-based figures—which account for seasonal volatility—show a slight rise to 4.4 per cent, marking the highest trend-based unemployment level since the end of the 2022 lockdown … Read more
An Employment Relations Authority (ERA) member has ruled that Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support Services Trust was justified in dismissing a staff member who remained on sick leave for eight months without providing a medical diagnosis or a return-to-work date. Authority member English found the employer acted in good faith by offering mediation and multiple … Read more
Wesley Mission Queensland will close its ORCA Project, an employment training program for young people with disability, on June 26, 2025. The charity cited an “increasingly complex” National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) environment, marked by rising costs and regulatory changes, as the primary driver for the decision. The program, which supported 90 participants last year, … Read more
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has stated that the South African government will not act as the primary driver of job creation, shifting the responsibility toward private sector growth and entrepreneurship. Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, the Minister argued that sustainable employment relies on small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) … Read more
Economists have cautioned that replicating Johor’s premium wage initiative—which targets starting salaries of RM4,000 for graduates—across other Malaysian states remains difficult due to structural disparities in regional industrial bases. While Johor’s model leverages proximity to Singapore and high-value investment zones, analysts note that sustainable wage growth elsewhere requires significant shifts in productivity, technological adoption, and … Read more
Administrators overseeing the collapse of Argyll Holidays have increased the firm’s workforce from 97 to 255 employees to maintain operations across eight Scottish parks while seeking a buyer. The operator, Cove Communities Venture 2 Argyle OpCo Limited, entered administration in November with debts exceeding £103 million, according to joint administrators Adam Paxton, Rob Croxen, and … Read more