2009
proved to be a challenging year as the Global recession cut
deep into most part of the world's economies. With the turn
of a new year, the World looks upon 2010 as a year of healing,
rebuilding and courageous aspirations...
Singapore
Aims To Cut Unemployment In 2010
Singapore's
economy was not spared from the rod of the recent Global recession
as the country's unemployment rate reached 3.4 per cent in
Q3 of 2009. After a relentless effort by the government to
save jobs and prevent mass retrenchments in year 2009, the
nation's labour movement has set its sight on reducing unemployment
to below 3 per cent in year 2010.
The
labour movement would target three areas to help improve employment
in 2010, including among PMETs (ie. professionals, managers,
executives and technicians). Their focus would be to increase
Singapore's re-employment rate, to reduce structural unemployment,
and to encourage middle-aged PMETs to undergo re-skilling
and re-training to boost their employment chances.
Japan
Aims To Create 4.76m Jobs By 2020
Japan's unemployment rate was registered at 5.2% in November
2009 compared to 4% a year ago. The Japanese government unveiled
an ambitious economic growth plan, pledging to create millions
of new jobs and achieve average growth of 2 per cent over
the next decade.
Japanese
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, said the government's new growth
strategy would focus on harnessing Japan's strengths to create
new markets valued at Y100,000bn in the environmental, healthcare
and tourism sectors. By stimulating demand in these areas
and improving the supply of goods and services to meet this
new need, the government expects to create 4.76m jobs by 2020.
Mr Hatoyama citing the government's mission to "Reshape the
Nation", expressed confidence in the government's ability to
achieve this target, saying: "We will complete [the growth
programme] no matter what."
Details of the new plan, anticipated to be released by next
June, which sets a target of 4 per cent GDP for combined public
and private sector investment in research and development,
includes steps for Tokyo to establish a free trade area in
the Asia-Pacific region by 2020.
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Happy New Year! 
