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APAC Edition
7th February 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
Samsung suspends employees amid protests
Samsung Electronics India has suspended three employees at its Chennai facility for allegedly violating company policy. The suspensions come in the wake of protests that have significantly affected production. The employees in question are reportedly members of the newly registered Samsung India Thozhilalar Sangam trade union, leading to claims that the suspension is retribution for their union activities. A union member said: “The company was making efforts to weaken the unionisation efforts by forming an alternative workers committee.” Samsung maintains that it is committed to reaching a collective agreement with its workers and has not coerced any employees in respect of union membership.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Google ditches diversity hiring goals
Google is to abandon its objective of hiring more employees from historically underrepresented groups and is reassessing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Black and Latino people have long been underrepresented in the tech industry. Google’s 2024 diversity report said 5.7% of its US employees were Black and 7.5% were Latino. Google added that it was reviewing recent court decisions and executive orders by President Trump aimed at curbing DEI in the government and federal contractors. The company said it would continue opening and expanding offices in cities with diverse workforces. The move reflects a broader trend among US companies, which have been retracting diversity efforts that followed the heightened focus on inclusivity after the protests against police violence in 2020.
TECHNOLOGY
Australia bans DeepSeek over security risks
Australia has officially banned the DeepSeek AI program from all government devices, citing "an unacceptable level of security risk" associated with the China-based app. Department of Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster said: "After considering threat and risk analysis, I have determined that the use of DeepSeek products . . . poses an unacceptable level of security risk to the Australian Government." The directive requires all non-corporate Commonwealth entities to remove existing instances of DeepSeek and prevent its installation across government systems. The ban follows similar concerns raised by countries including South Korea, Italy, and France regarding DeepSeek's data practices and security.
STRATEGY
BBC Singapore staff face job shake-up
The BBC has instructed 12 staff members in its Singapore bureau to reapply for new positions following a restructuring aimed at enhancing the corporation's global service. Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a BBC spokesperson said the move is part of plans to revamp its service across the world. The spokesperson said: “Last year, BBC News announced changes to the news channel to deliver a better round-the-clock service for audiences live from London, Washington DC, Sydney and Singapore. The operational changes in the BBC News Singapore bureau are part of this plan and will ensure there is a greater focus on live and breaking news both for and from the region.”
Estée Lauder to cut 7,000 jobs
Estée Lauder has announced plans to increase job cuts to as many as 7,000 as part of a global restructuring effort aimed at saving up to $1bn. The decision comes in response to concerns over a potential global trade war and anticipated tariff hikes. The company, which employs around 62,000 people worldwide, will focus on retraining and redeploying some staff, with job losses expected to be finalised by June 2026. Newly-appointed president and chief executive Stephane de La Faverie said that the restructuring is intended to enhance sales growth and restore a strong double-digit operating margin.
HIRING
Job market woes for polytechnic grads
In 2024, the employment rate for fresh polytechnic graduates in Singapore declined, with only 54.6% securing full-time permanent jobs, down from nearly 60% in 2023. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing attributed the drop to lower hiring demand and fewer job vacancies, particularly impacting graduates from Engineering and Information and Digital Technologies. He posited that it could be due to "cyclical sectoral changes, such as the downturn in the tech sector.” The unemployment rate for these graduates rose from 7.3% in 2023 to 12.5% in 2024, comparable to figures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, Chan highlighted a positive trend of increasing numbers of graduates pursuing further studies before entering the job market. The Ministry of Education will continue to monitor these trends and their long-term impact on employment outcomes.
BlackRock to hire 1,200 in India
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is to hire nearly 1,200 people to expand its two support hubs in India and build out its local artificial intelligence capabilities. The iHubs, as the centres are known, are in Mumbai and Gurugram, a satellite town near New Delhi. The new hires will increase total headcount to roughly 3,500 in the two cities, and include more engineers and data experts. BlackRock is also inheriting a so-called global capabilities centre in India's IT hub Bengaluru through its proposed purchase of data provider Preqin. That centre will have roughly 1,500 staff members.
INTERNATIONAL
DEI work will continue amid backlash, executive says
Amira Barger, executive vice president of communications and head of DEI advisory at global communications firm Edelman, tells AP News that efforts to diversify workplaces and promote equality will continue despite a sweeping crackdown by the Trump administration. "When DEI initiatives are attacked, companies need to be prepared to address the criticism by being really clear about demonstrating positive impacts of this kind of work. That means defending the work with facts. From increased innovation to a greater sense of belonging among employees, there are very real outcomes that companies can use to show measurable progress because of the existence of these programs," Barger says.
Northvolt's operations in Sweden boosted by Scania
Scania has been sending staff to Northvolt's Ett plant in Skelleftea, Sweden, since November to help boost quality and output at the struggling EV battery maker. Reuters notes that Scania is a top Northvolt customer and has been close to the firm from the start. The plant employs around 2,500 people and has seen Scania employees inside the factory in recent months. Under the support plan, each Scania staff member is to be paired with a Northvolt shift manager or team leader to "coach" teams while driving improvements and implementing standards. Northvolt downsized drastically last year and filed for U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 21 after financing talks with investors and creditors collapsed amid persistent quality concerns. 
Navigating Latin America's new labour laws
James Peters, founder and president of Global Expansion, writes for Forbes about significant labour law changes in Latin America, particularly in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. Mexico has doubled mandatory holidays and proposed a reduction in working hours to 40 per week, despite business opposition. Colombia is gradually reducing maximum working hours from 48 to 42, while President Gustavo Petro's recent bill aims to enhance overtime pay. Chile's Congress has also passed a law to reduce working hours to 40 over five years, introducing flexible contracts. Companies are encouraged to build flexible compliance strategies, partner with local experts, consider Employer of Record services, and implement compliance management software to navigate these evolving regulations.
OTHER
Balloon firm executive is left deflated
An executive at a UK party balloon firm who sued after his female boss said "It's not going to be any of the men" when revealing the winner of an award at a Christmas party has had his claims for unfair dismissal, age and sex discrimination and victimisation dismissed. Nathan Blakeley, 27, launched legal proceedings against the firm in Hampshire on the grounds that he had been overlooked because of his gender. His claim was dismissed after the employment tribunal heard that 95% of staff at Bubblegum Balloons in Farnborough were women. The tribunal also heard that Blakeley’s mother once called the company to complain about her son’s treatment.
 


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