Australia sees the climate emergency as an opportunity to create jobs.
A dockers union rejects a five percent pay hike and workers get ready to strike as cost of living increases in the UK. This while British employers battle an acute shortage of workers and surging inflation, which leads to hiring pessimism. Meanwhile, data shows that an average of 80 percent of workers in Dubai have returned to the office. The Australian government makes it clear the climate emergency is an opportunity to create jobs in the country.
British employers pessimistic about hiring
British employers are at their most pessimistic about hiring since the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis due to surging inflation and an acute shortage of workers to fill jobs.
This is according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation's measure of confidence, which showed that hiring fell to -13 in the three months to June, the lowest since the same period in 2020 and down from -7 in the three months to May.
“This new report clearly shows the effect of rising inflation and labour shortages on businesses across the country,” Neil Carberry, chief executive of the REC, said.
The REC survey was based on a telephone poll of 602 employers between 4 April and 24 July, reports Reuters.
Dubai leads the pack in return to office work
Dubai leads in office utilisation with an average of 80 percent of workers returning to the office work during the second quarter as Covid-19 restrictions were eased by the government, according to global property consultants Savills.
Dubai ranked fifth globally and first in Europe, Middle East and Africa as 10 percent more office workers returned to their jobs during the April-June 2022 quarter compared to January-March 2022 quarter. Four Chinese cities – Beijing, Shenshen, Guangzhou and Shanghai – secured the first four positions with an average of more than 90 percent staff resuming office work.
“Compared to key office hubs around the world, Dubai offers relatively shorter commute times as office hubs are spread across the city and are easily accessible from key residential areas. Longer commute time is one of the key factors for the adoption of hybrid working in other cities,” said Paula Walshe, head of International Corporate Services, Savills Middle East.
Climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity
Australia sees the world’s climate emergency as an opportunity to create jobs, as the government introduced legislation to enshrine an emissions reduction target, reports Reuters.
“The world's climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity,” Minister for Climate and Energy Chris Bowen said.
He added that clean energy jobs would be created in battery manufacturing, and commodities such as aluminium, lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel.
UK dockers ready for strike action
Dockers at the UK’s largest container port have voted overwhelmingly to strike after they were offered a below-inflation pay rise, with action planned for August, in the latest blow to efforts by ministers to contain a wave of industrial unrest sparked by the cost of living crisis.
Workers rejected a five percent pay rise offer from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, which their union, Unite, pointed out would be a real-terms pay cut with retail price inflation standing at 11.8 percent, reports The Guardian.
