In The News

Thailand Seeks Taiwanese Investors

Joyce Huang August 6, 2003
Proud of its economic recovery from 1997's Asian financial crisis and an impressive growth rate, Thailand is trying to attract Taiwanese investors. Taiwan is already the third largest foreign investor in Thailand, following only Japan and the US, but the kingdom hopes to increase the island's foreign direct investment by as much as 15 to 20 percent in a variety of sectors, ranging from...

Knock, Knock…Who's There? Many Migrants!

Joseph Chamie August 5, 2003
All people have the right to leave their country, writes Joseph Chamie, Director of the United Nations Population Division, but they do not have the right to enter another without permission. As population growth soars in the developing world, this apparent contradiction is creating a dilemma for developed countries, which are being inundated with illegal migrants. According to Chamie, the...

Labor Flexibility to Be Boosted

Kim Sung-mi July 31, 2003
Business groups in South Korea have complained that their current labor laws are grossly obsolete, especially in a competitive international environment. The laws stipulate that employers who "illegally" lay off workers would face criminal charges including prison sentences of up to five years. An expert committee charged with revamping the current laws wishes to discontinue the use of...

Textile Industry Seeks Trade Limits on Chinese

David Barboza July 25, 2003
Over the past two years, 270,000 American textile and apparel workers have lost their jobs. The industry is blaming China, accusing the country of unfair trade policies and demanding that the Bush administration take action to protect American manufacturers from being entirely destroyed. According to the agreement made when China entered the WTO, the United States can put quotas on certain...

Japan's Neglected Resource: Female Workers

Howard W. French July 25, 2003
Inequality in Japan's workplace is not only keeping Japanese women down, but also Japan itself. With population decline threatening huge labor shortages and possible economic collapse, it would seem Japan might be eager to tap into an underutilized segment of the population. Indeed, many experts maintain that expanding the role of women in the workplace could be the best stimulus for Japan...

75% of Singaporean Expats Willing to Jump Ship: Poll

Anna Teo July 23, 2003
As companies expand their operations overseas, managing their workforce can become a much more complicated task. A poll of 240 Singaporean professionals assigned abroad found the majority frustrated with their companies’ repatriation process. Nonetheless, most of those polled were happy to go abroad, because they believe that managerial development and international experience gained overseas...

IBM Explores Shift of White-Collar Jobs Overseas

Steven Greenhouse July 22, 2003
The conventional wisdom on globalization in the US has held that unskilled jobs will gradually shift overseas, leaving American workers free to perform higher-paid, white-collar jobs. But now that IBM is considering moving millions of white-collar jobs to countries like India and China, politicians and technology workers are crying foul. Corporations like IBM argue that moving service jobs...