http://www.vnbusinessnews.com/2009/03/vietnam-becomes-platform-for-japanese.html
Mar 26, 2009
VNBusinessNews.com - Viet Nam is becoming a platform for Japanese companies’ activities just like Thailand, affirmed Chairman and CEO of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Yasuo Hayashi.
Speaking to Viet Nam News Agency correspondent to Tokyo during the JETRO’s regular quarterly press conference on March 25, Hayashi said earlier this month, his organisation and the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) jointly organised a visit to Vietnam for 88 Japanese businessmen to help them explore business opportunities and seek deals with partners in the Southeast Asian country.
“At first, we arranged the visit for only 40 businessmen, but eventually, the number of registered businessmen reached 88. This was the largest business delegation from Japan to Viet Nam so far,” Hayashi said, adding that the delegation, including 39 businessmen from small- and medium-sized enterprises, had visited Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Regarding to the business performance of Japanese investors in Viet Nam, Chairman Hayashi said that Japanese companies have currently experienced hard time in Viet Nam, but he was still optimistic about the country’s business environment.
The JETRO leader said his organisation is considering concrete measures towards helping Viet Nam develop supporting industries, including inviting Vietnamese people to Japan to have capacity-building training courses. (VNA)
Vietnam becomes platform for Japanese companies
Asia to 'lose 7.2 million jobs'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7896878.stm
About 7.2 million people in Asian countries are likely to lose their jobs in 2009 amid the global downturn, a UN report has suggested.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) said that in the worst case scenario the number of newly-unemployed might total 22.3 million.
The UN agency warned that a significant rise in the number of unemployed workers could lead to social unrest.
It urged governments to prioritise the creation of jobs.
However, the report added: "There is very little chance that a sufficient number of new jobs will be created in the region this year to keep up with expected labor force growth."
The ILO scenario forecast a likely rise in the number of jobless people in Asia to 97 million, with the figure jumping to 113 million in the most pessimistic scenario.
Some Asian countries have experienced an economic boom in recent years, but a third of Asia's population still live on about $1 a day.
Government policies
Expanding already agreed public spending projects is a quick, effective way to create and safeguard jobs
Sachiko Yamamato, ILO regional director
The report estimates that about 51 million new jobs will be needed in 2009 and 2010 to absorb the growing labour force.
The organisation also forecast a drop in remittances in 2009.
"For labor-sending countries, this will exacerbate the challenge of mitigating job losses and generating new employment domestically," it said.
The ILO warned Asian countries against protectionist policies, such as refusing to issue work permits to foreign workers.
"Having a more coordinated effort to pull fiscal policies together, to talk about the sequencing and the timing of those fiscal policies would be a big help," said Stephen Pursey, Director for Policy Integration at the ILO.
Sachiko Yamamato, regional director of ILO, said: "Support must come quickly. Expanding already agreed public spending projects is a quick, effective way to create and safeguard jobs."
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