>Comments: Authenticated sender is <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "vivian Hutchinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 13:23:28 +0000 >X-Distribution: Moderate >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Subject: The Jobs Letter No.78 (11 May 1998) >Reply-to: "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Priority: normal > >T H E J O B S L E T T E R 0 7 8 >------------------------------------- >a subscriber-based letter >published in New Zealand 11 May 1998 > >edited by Vivian Hutchinson for the Jobs Research Trust >P.O.Box 428, New Plymouth, New Zealand >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >Internet address -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >ASIAN CRISIS MAKES MILLIONS JOBLESS >* The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is warning that >Asia's economic crisis is throwing millions out of work, and is >wiping out years of progress against Asian poverty. Despite the >fact that the Asian currencies have largely stabilised, the ILO >warns of social pain and the risk of political instability in the >coming months. In a report to a Bangkok conference of east-Asian >employment ministers, trade unionists and employers, the ILO >predicts that unemployment will treble in Indonesia, Thailand and >South Korea. > >Greatest concern: The collapse of what had been rapidly rising >economic expectations in Asia, and the absence of any social >safety nets, such as the dole. The Guardian Weekly comments that >Asia's jobless rate is unlikely to go beyond the highest levels >seen in western Europe or the former Soviet bloc, but is >potentially more explosive because of the weak or non-existent >welfare provisions. > >* The World Bank predicted last month that the number of >Indonesians living in poverty will double to more than 20m >people. The ILO: "Just as the Great Depression forged a new >social contract in many industrialised countries, so too must the >current Asian crisis be an impetus to creating a more >socially-oriented model of development..." > >* In China, where the restructuring of bankrupt state >companies is causing millions of redundancies, the official >jobless rate has risen to 5%, but earlier this month premier Zhu >Rongji admitted that 10% of the workforce is unemployed. Even >this may be well under-stated. Under-employed workers in rural >areas are excluded from the count -- this includes many who have >lost their jobs in the cities and have returned home to no jobs >in their villages. > >* The Economist predicts that over a three-year period, >Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea will see virtually no overall >growth. Compared with their previous growth rates of 7-8%, this >amounts to a cumulative loss of output of 20-25%. The Economist: >"In other words, the slump in Asia will be of the same sort of >order as the slump in America during the Great Depression between >1929 and 1923, when output fell by 30%." > >* Most vulnerable are migrant workers and women, who have been >the backbone of a cheap, mobile and docile labour force that once >powered the region's "economic miracle". The numbers of migrant >labourers grew from about a million in the early 1980s to more >than 6.5m last year. Many of these people now face not only >unemployment but expulsion as the factories that employed them go >bankrupt. Both Malaysia and Thailand have started to repatriate >large numbers of migrant labourers, many of whom were working >illegally. In Malaysia the total may be as many as 2.5m -- a >quarter of the workforce. > >The forced repatriations may not reduce the unemployment, as many >native Thais and Malaysians are unwilling to take up the "3D" >jobs (dirty, difficult and dangerous) that the migrant Burmese >and Indonesians were employed in. > > >FOLLOW THE BIRMINGHAM SUMMIT OF THE EIGHT ON >THE INTERNET >* The annual G8 world leaders summit is gearing up in >Birmingham this week (see feature in The Jobs Letter No.75) -- >but you can follow proceedings from your home if you have access >to the internet. > >The University of Toronto and the London School of Economics have >combined to provide a site which will enable students and >educators worldwide to participate as online attendees of the >conference. The sophisticated and interactive multi-media site is >being created by Real Education Inc, who are specialists in >online distance learning projects. > >Top scholars will follow the themes of the conference and >present their views and insights directly to the site. >Participants will be encouraged to attend live interviews with >world leaders and join chat rooms and threaded discussions. Of >special interest to Jobs Letter readers will be employment >issues, which will be covered in a section on "multi-lateral >trade, investments and labour relations". Participants can >register now for their "virtual" attendance at >http://g8.realeducation.com. It's free. > >C R E D I T S >------------------- >Editor -- Vivian Hutchinson >Associates -- Ian Ritchie, Dave Owens and Jo Howard > >ISSN No. 1172-6695 > >S U B S C R I P T I O N S >---------------------------------- > >The regular (4-6 page, posted) Jobs Letter costs >$NZ112.50 incl GST for 30 letters. >This subscription also includes a free email version >on request. > >The email-only version costs >$NZ56.25 incl GST annually (22 letters) >and usually has an expanded Diary section. >All email editions of the Jobs Letter >are posted to subscribers >on a "not to be forwarded" basis. > >We also maintain an internet website with >our back issues and key papers, >and hotlinks to other internet resources. >This can be visited at > > http://www.jobsletter.org.nz/ > >Our website resources are available freely to anyone >with access to the internet. >The most recent three months of Jobs Letter issues, >however, will only be available to subscribers. > > >An e-mail version of this letter is available to international >friends and colleagues on an "exchange of information" basis and >on the understanding that the Letter is not re-posted to New >Zealand... this is because we need the paid subscriptions from >our New Zealand colleagues in order to pay our way. Thanks. > >Subscription Enquiries -- >Jobs Research Trust, P.O.Box 428, >New Plymouth, New Zealand >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > M I S C E L L A N E O U S >-------------------------- > >This is a subscriber-based publication -- >... which is how we pay our bills and keep going. > >If you are receiving this letter on a regular basis >please subscribe. > >A Word on Spreading the Word -- > >We'd like you to let others know about the Jobs Letter >and the work of the Jobs Research Trust. >A personal note to friends and colleagues is the best. > >If you decide to post this entire Letter to a mailing list, >newsgroup, message forum, computer conference etc., please >reference it as a personal recommendation. And thanks for your >help with networking! > >An e-mail version of this letter is available to international >friends and colleagues on an "exchange of information" basis >and on the understanding that the Letter is not re-posted to >New Zealand... this is because we need the paid subscriptions >from our New Zealand colleagues in order to pay our way. >Thanks. > > > >ends >------ > > >The Jobs Letter >essential information on an essential issue >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >P.O.Box 428 >New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand > >visit The Jobs Research Website at >http://www.jobsletter.org.nz/ >
