Human Times

APAC Edition

26th September 2025

THE HOT STORY

One third of Singapore workers report burnout

In Singapore, about one third of over 15,000 workers have reported experiencing work-related stress or burnout in 2024, according to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) iWorkHealth assessment. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang noted that participation in the assessment is optional, which may affect the data's representativeness. He said: "While it is natural to feel overwhelmed at work from time to time, a conducive environment can help workers to reduce or overcome work stress." MOM is promoting initiatives to enhance mental well-being, including the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and the Total WSH programme.

Straits Times

RISK

Threats of violence against company executives 'on the increase'

A poll of 2,352 security chiefs at large and medium-sized companies in 31 countries by US security and staffing company Allied Universal suggests threats of violence against company executives are on the rise since last year's high-profile killing of UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, with the US technology sector the worst affected. Allied chief executive Steve Jones said that companies in the technology, defence and pharmaceuticals sectors were often targeted, and executives who commented on politically charged or sensitive subjects, such as the Gaza war, could be at risk.

Reuters

LEGAL

House passes bills to boost Thai workers' rights

Thailand's House of Representatives has approved two labour protection bills aimed at enhancing workers' rights and quality of life. Deputy House Speaker Chalard Khamchuang chaired the session, where MPs Charat Khumkhainam and Wanvipa Maison presented the bills. Key amendments include limiting weekly working hours to 40, ensuring two rest days, and providing a minimum of 10 days' paid annual leave for employees with over 120 days of service. Charat said: "Reducing working hours can boost economic growth and improve organisational performance."

Bangkok Post

CEO jailed after battery plant fire

Park Soon-kwan, chief executive of South Korean battery maker Aricell, has received a 15-year prison sentence following a deadly fire at a battery plant in June 2024. The blaze killed 23 people, including 18 foreign workers, and injured eight others. The court deemed the incident "an anticipated disaster," attributing responsibility to Mr Park and other executives. . Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence, citing changes that hindered worker escape. Mr Park apologised but denied safety lapses.

BBC News

WORKFORCE

Australian job vacancies down

Job vacancies in Australia decreased by 2.7% in the August quarter, primarily driven by a decline in the private sector, while the number of unemployed individuals per job opening rose to 2.0, the highest level since February 2021. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that overall vacancies fell to 327,200, which is still 44% above pre-pandemic levels, despite a year-on-year decline of 1.5%. While the private sector saw a 3.4% drop in vacancies, the public sector experienced a 2.2% increase, indicating a slight loosening of the labour market amid slowing employment growth.

Reuters

TECHNOLOGY

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plans to improve chip efficiency

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is leveraging AI-powered software to enhance the energy efficiency of computing chips, aiming for a 10-fold improvement in energy use. At a recent conference, TSMC showcased how new chip designs, which incorporate multiple smaller "chiplets," can be optimised using AI tools from partners including Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, achieving better results faster than human engineers. Jim Chang from TSMC observed: "This thing runs five minutes while our designer needs to work for two days," as he highlighted significant time savings and efficiency gains.

Reuters

CORPORATE

Alibaba shares surge on new AI spending plans

Alibaba chief executive Eddie Wu says the firm plans to increase its capital expenditures on artificial intelligence infrastructure from 380bn yuan ($53.4bn) to an unspecified amount over the next three years. "The speed of AI industry development has far exceeded our expectations, and the industry's demand for AI infrastructure has also far exceeded our expectations" he said, adding that the company's cloud unit is aiming to become “the world’s leading full-stack AI service provider” from computing power to models. Mr Wu was speaking as Alibaba unveiled its largest ever AI language model, the Qwen3-Max, which contains more than 1tn parameters, or variables that determine how an AI system processes information. Autonomous agent capabilities mean the AI system requires fewer human prompts than a chatbot like ChatGPT.

Bloomberg

CNBC

Reuters

South China Morning Post

TAX

Korea backs down on capital gains tax hike

Korea has withdrawn its proposed capital gains tax hike on stock investments, following significant backlash from investors. The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the decision to abandon the plan, which aimed to lower the tax threshold from 5bn won to 1bn won. The proposal garnered over 135,000 signatures on a petition after its announcement in July. The ministry said that the decision was made “in consideration of the public's strong desire to revitalise the capital market,.”

Korea Joongang Daily

INTERNATIONAL

Trump's new visa fees spur offshoring talks

A White House plan for new visa fees for H-1B workers has precipitated high-level talks inside companies in Silicon Valley and beyond on the possibility of moving more jobs overseas, Reuters reports. "I have had several conversations with [large companies, some of them household names, Fortune 100 type companies] . . . where they have said this new fee is simply unworkable in the US, and it's time for us to start looking for other countries where we can have highly skilled talent," said Chris Thomas, an immigration attorney at Colorado-based law firm Holland & Hart.

Reuters

Most Europeans 'unwilling to take pay cut to work from home'

A European Central Bank (ECB) survey has found that most European workers would be unwilling to take a pay cut to retain remote working opportunities. The finding confounds other research which concluded that workers would be willing to forgo bigger proportions of their income. "The average pay cut that employees would accept to work two or three days per week from home is 2.6%," the ECB said in an Economic Bulletin article. "This is significantly lower than other estimates in the empirical literature."

Reuters

Italy's government 'has not discussed freezing retirement age'

The Italian government has not discussed plans to freeze the retirement age at 67, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters on Wednesday. She was responding to a report in the Financial Times that said her government is considering such a freeze, in a move critics warned would put renewed pressure on the country’s improving but still fragile public finances.

Financial Times

Reuters

OTHER

Luxury brands aim to draw on Seoul power

Luxury brands Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior plan to expand their flagship stores in Seoul's Cheongdam district, with Dior's renovation potentially starting in 2027. Bulgari is considering its first flagship in South Korea, while Tiffany & Co. will open a store in 2027. The luxury market in the country is currently thriving due to strong consumer confidence and a growing number of tourists, particularly from China and Japan. Last year, luxury sales in South Korea reached $3.3bn, driven by both local and tourist spending.

Japan Times

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