Biden hails $22 bln investment by S. Korea's SK Group

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden hailed progress in the US bid to revamp its 21st century economy after huge South Korean group SK announced a $22 billion investment in US semiconductor and other cutting edge industries.

"This pathbreaking announcement represents clear evidence that the United States, Korea, and its allies are back and winning the technology competition of the 21st century," Biden said in a virtual meeting at the White House with the top executives from SK Group, South Korea's second largest conglomerate.

"America is the key destination for advanced technologies," he added, stressing that the investment signaled success for his broader policy of "working with our allies."

The announcement came just before the meeting where Biden, who is recovering from a Covid infection, appeared on video, while SK Chairman Chey Tae-won joined other executives and senior White House officials in person.

The conglomerate said in a statement it plans to "increase its new investment in the United States by $22 billion in areas including semiconductors, green energy, and bioscience, creating tens of thousands of new high-tech, high-paying American jobs."

"This is in addition to SK's recently announced investment of $7 billion to build two new gigafactories in Tennessee and Kentucky as part of a joint venture with Ford Motor Company," the statement said.

According to a White House spokesman, SK Group's growing commitment reflects a push to rebuild US-based manufacturing and supply chains, which have been severely disrupted by fallout from the global Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns.

"From the beginning of his administration, President Biden has focused on an American industrial strategy to rebuild our infrastructure and our supply chains here at home, drawing good-paying manufacturing jobs back to America," the spokesman said.

"This announcement by SK Group is also another proof point of the success of the administration's efforts to create more resilient and secure supply chains and outcompete the rest of the world in the technologies of the future," he added.

The Department of Commerce says that foreign investment reached nearly $334 billion in 2021, the peak since 2016. Manufacturing accounted for the biggest share of any industry, at $121 billion.

The Biden administration is pushing Congress to quickly pass a proposed $52 billion subsidy package for boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturers, warning that reliance on foreign producers amounts to a national security risk.

Speaking Monday to senior economic and national security staff, as well as representatives from manufacturers and a trade union, Biden said government backing for domestic producers means the United States will "be able to stay in the game."

Congress must pass this bill as soon as possible," he said, citing both the economic and national security "imperative" of securing production of the tiny components needed for everything from smart phones to cars and weapons.

Agence France-Presse

For many, COVID-19 has changed the world of work for good

The upheaval in global labor markets triggered by the coronavirus pandemic will transform the working lives of millions of employees for good, policymakers and business leaders told a Reuters virtual forum on Tuesday.

Nearly a year after governments first imposed lockdowns to contain the virus, there is a growing consensus that more staff will in future be hired remotely, work from home and have an entirely different set of expectations of their managers.

Yet such changes are also likely to be the preserve of white-collar workers, with new labor market entrants and the less well-educated set to face post-COVID-19 economies where most jobs growth is in low-wage sectors.

"I think it would be a fallacy to think we will go back to where we were before," Philippines central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno told the Reuters Next forum.

"We were already geared towards the digital, contactless, industries … That will define the new normal."

The pandemic, which according to a Reuters tally has so far infected at least 90.5 million people and killed around 1.9 million worldwide, has up-ended industries and workers across the globe.

Hospitality and tourism are among those sectors worst-hit by stringent social-distancing rules and travel bans, while sectors that support the work-from-home economy are adding jobs, albeit often in low-wage roles.

"Driving, warehouse, construction - they're actually ahead of where they were last year," Chris Hyams, CEO of the global jobs listings website Indeed, said in an interview to be aired at the forum later on Tuesday.

Hyams said job searches on Indeed last year showed that office workers - who before the pandemic would typically flood the website on Monday mornings looking for a change in job - were now more interested in stability in their working life.

"What we saw for the first six months of pandemic was that employees were much less likely to be looking for something new," he said, adding those workers had now got used to home-working and were above all keen on retaining such flexibility.

But while he said there were already signs that some sectors were now ready to allow up to 70% of their workforces to operate remotely all the time, such benefits would often be reserved for better-educated white-collar workers.

"We believe equity and inclusion will be the next frontier," he warned. "Disparities that already exist in society are going to be heightened and exposed."

THE NEW-LOOK MANAGER

Some of those sectors most badly hit by the pandemic now face a long haul back to anything like their former health.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman (ACCC) Rod Sims was pessimistic about the outlook for the aviation industry, seeing no return to normal international travel to and from Australia throughout 2021.

"I think free international travel between Australia and overseas will be a long time away, unfortunately," Sims told Reuters Next, noting how the virus has made a resurgence in Australia after being virtually stamped out late last year.

Other changes are more subtle, but will start to transform the way workers are hired and managed.

Indeed's Hyams said the job interview by Zoom had proven its worth and predicted a "secular shift" towards such practices.

"Employers and job-seekers found it safe, more convenient and much faster ... The future of hiring is going to very much start with remote and video interviewing," he said.

Observers of the workplace also expect the pandemic to fundamentally alter the way managers operate - not least because the current uncertainties mean they must remain open to change.

"It's no longer the role of the CEO to have all the answers," said Laura Storm, founder of Regenerators, a collective formed to spur new thinking about products, services and organizations. "The role of the CEO is to be a chief ecosystem officer or a facilitator."

Hephzi Pemberton, CEO of Equality Group, a consultancy and executive search firm, agreed.

"My hope is that our leadership will look and feel very different," she said, calling for companies to use the moment to fund genuinely long-term diversity and inclusion plans.

-reuters

Irish airline Ryanair cuts up to 3,000 jobs over virus

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair said on Friday it planned to axe 3,000 pilot and cabin crew jobs, or 15 percent of staff, with air transport paralysed by coronavirus.

Dublin-based Ryanair added in a statement that most of its flights would remain grounded until at least July and predicted it would take until summer 2022 at the earliest before passenger demand recovers.

The airline now expects to operate less than one percent of its scheduled flights in April, May and June.

"The Ryanair Airlines will shortly notify their trade unions about its restructuring and job loss program, which will commence from July 2020," the group said in a statement.

"These plans will be subject to consultation but will affect all Ryanair Airlines, and may result in the loss of up to 3,000 mainly pilot and cabin crew jobs, unpaid leave, and pay cuts of up to 20 percent, and the closure of a number of aircraft bases across Europe until traffic recovers."

The cost-cutting measures at the airline, which employs 18,000 staff worldwide, will be implemented "as a direct result of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis", it added.

Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has meanwhile agreed to extend his 50-percent pay cut for the remainder of the financial year to March 2021.

"Today we are announcing cuts of just over 15 percent, of which we have to lose regrettably about 3,000 mainly pilots and cabin crew over the next three to four months," O'Leary told Bloomberg TV.

"That's because this year we are now facing carrying less than a 100 million passengers against an original budget of 154 million passengers... The situation is grim."

"We expect to be allowed by the European governments to go back in July or from July onwards. What we are facing now is a historic decline in air traffic in Europe for the next 12-18 months."

Agence France-Presse

Demand for Cloud IT careers on the rise, says expert

MANILA, Philippines – Cloud computing technology is poised to revolutionize not just how businesses and the government use information technology (IT), but will also potentially shape the country’s workplace landscape.

Cyril Rocke, President and CEO of DataOne Asia, an independent provider of IT services in the Philippines, reveals that cloud computing is holding much promise for any industry and is encouraging a new breed of university or college IT graduates to handle the expected shift towards cloud computing.

“Since 2011, we have seen that the number of companies who have migrated to the Cloud has more than doubled, and this highlights the great potential of the Philippines to become a platform for cloud-based services. In effect, the demand for hires who are knowledgeable about Cloud and virtualization technologies will become even higher.”

Since cloud computing has minimized the need for businesses to acquire in-house IT infrastructure and has urged companies to rely on Cloud service providers, Rocke believes that even IT professionals will need to evolve to enable steady function of Cloud services directed at multiple users.

“Because of the Cloud, IT professionals will no longer be much involved in hardware repairs or troubleshooting of servers as in the past. They will become service-oriented, and less hardware-oriented,” Rocke said.

Rocke notes that since many employers have already learned their lessons in building their IT infrastructure, they expect IT recruits to possess three main technical qualities that will ensure sustainable operations. First, he believes that graduates should be familiar with applications and infrastructure.

“A company’s chief information officer (CIO) would expect his IT staff to know how to roll out applications and infrastructure in the most effective manner. This means that the recruits should know how to procure virtual machine providers from Cloud providers such as DataOne, instead of expecting their company to acquire more hardware.”

He adds that IT recruits should be aware of the benefits of cloud computing, especially when it comes to software deployment and management.

“IT hires should be aware of how cloud computing has made software applications readily available. The IT hire should also be aware of the wide range of software that are available on the Cloud, such as email, payroll, sales force automation, and enterprise resource planning,” Rocke says.

He also emphasizes on the need for IT graduates to be knowledgeable about security issues and the process of encryption, especially with the growing cyber-warfare and cyber-espionage directed at critical industries.

“IT hires also need to be concerned about security. As such, they are expected to devise policies to ensure that corporate data does not ever leak to the wrong parties,” Rock says.

DataOne’s Data Center and Network Operations Senior Manager Aileen Martinez added that, aside from knowledge and other technical skills, an aspiring IT staff must possess the right attitude, which should help them manage their time and work programs.

“Cloud services are very in-demand today because they are easy to deploy and to sync in a company’s processes and existing IT systems. Some of these companies have very challenging lead times to implement their Cloud projects.  This is why the IT personnel should be able to work well under extreme pressure,” she says.

Aside from the ability to handle pressure, Martinez adds that IT recruits should also have good social skills which will allow them to communicate with their co-workers as well as the clients. Having a good team of IT professionals would ensure smooth processes in delivering IT services.

“People skills remain an important attribute because these recruits will most likely work in a team of more experienced engineers. It is important for the recruit to make himself valuable to the team and avoid making any conflict,” Martinez says.

“The IT recruits will also have to talk to the end customers via phone, email, or even face-to-face meetings. They should be able to communicate in a professional manner.”

Lastly, Martinez says that employers value recruits who strive to excel in their profession. Having aspirations will also encourage an IT professional to find ways to improve themselves through the work they do.

“We at DataOne strive for excellence, that’s why we deliver 99.99% service levels. Our IT recruits should also have that attitude, the drive to excel at all costs. The same goes for other IT companies,” she says.

Rocke emphasizes that the growing use of cloud computing among all industries offers an exciting work opportunity for this school year’s batch of IT graduates.

“Cloud computing has further changed the IT landscape, and, now, it is exciting, fast-paced and ever-evolving more than ever. It opens a lot of new job opportunities for our fresh IT graduates,” he says.
Rocke is also optimistic due to a recent report from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which states that 2 out of the 10 top paying jobs in the country belong in the IT sector. Because of this, he urges aspiring IT professionals to take advantage of this opportunity.

“There are short-term employment bridging courses or skills training, some of them offered either by the government or private institutions, that will give them the necessary knowledge and experience they need before they join the IT the workforce.”

Rocke also mentioned that the recruit’s choice of school does not matter when it comes to following the IT career path. Rather, there are other formal and non-formal options for graduates and working professionals to add to their skills. In fact, the Internet is one source of non-formal learning.

“The choice of school does not ensure anything. I encourage these recruits to take free online courses and even college offerings on IT so they could educate themselves,” he says.

On a final note, Rocke gave the aspiring IT professionals some tips on how they could land “cloud jobs”.

“Keep on learning — always keep yourself updated on new technologies on cloud computing because that’s where technology is heading, and there is no way to stop it.”

source: technology.inquirer.net

8 Great Sources for Work-at-Home Jobs

If I had a buck for everyone who asked me how to successfully work at home, I’d be a wealthy woman. Assuming you have the tenacity and temperament to structure your day and stay on top of projects, the main things you need are space, tools and gigs. These eight resources will point you towards a variety of work-at-home jobs. The rest is up to you.








Media Bistro

Many people assume you can only search for jobs in the television industry on Media Bistro, but the truth is there are a number of writing gigs that are up for grabs as well. Online blogging gigs, news stories and even magazine assignments make the listings from time to time. If writing’s how you make your living, this online resource may be your ticket to work-at-home success.

 Hub Pages

 Granted, with this option you need to be willing to earn your cash through affiliate links and ad clicks, but many have found Hub Pages to be a great way to build passive income. It’s also a side gig you can start without having to front any cash whatsoever, provided you have internet access and already own your own computer. Since this option, like so many others requires you to spend a great deal of time writing, you will definitely want to research some fitness exercises you can do at your desk.

ESL Café

If English is your first language, then you may be able to pick up a part-time gig at ESL Café. Granted, many of the jobs are for overseas teaching opportunities, but a fair number are for online companies which let you teach from the comfort of your home, provided you have reasonably-fast internet services, a web camera and a headset.

Serious Teachers

Similar to ESL Café, Serious Teachers is a web site that lists employment opportunities in the field of international education. Again, there are many out-of-country positions but the database allows you to filter for online opportunities that may suit your needs. I’ve noticed that the online options listed here aren’t always the highest paying, but if you’re in a situation where you’ll be making the same as you would at a minimum wage McJob, why not work from home and use the saved time from your lack of a commute to start your own affordable small business or find other higher-paying clients?

1099 Mom

A work-at-home blog started by a veteran personal finance blogger, 1099 Mom lists professional blogging gigs on a weekly basis, along with savvy solutions for invoicing, client interactions, balancing work with family and more.

Freelance Job Openings

Heavy on listings for media-related jobs like photography, blogging, design training and copy editing, Freelance Job Openings lists only those opportunities that pay. I’ve seen everything from well-known media corporations and magazines listed on this site, to smaller copy editing gigs. If you can type like the wind and have a reasonable way with words, chances are you have a good shot at securing paying work with this resource.

Flex Jobs



Anything from newborn photography to answering support calls from home shows up on Flex Jobs, along with many keyboard-related opportunities as well. Some of the jobs listed only allow telecommuting part of the time however, so it’s important to look at the fine print before responding to a listing.

Virtual Vocations

Similar to Flex Jobs with more of a web-based focus, Virtual Vocations is a work-at-home job resource for those wishing to operate outside of traditional employment parameters. You’ll find consulting positions, field research gigs and even development and investigative contracts.

Comprehensive listings for at-home employment options can be cumbersome. This article was designed to provide a lengthy enough resource for newbies to sink their teeth into, while remaining short enough to avoid being overwhelming. Have you ever successfully landed a work-at-home job? What resources did you use?

source: financialhighway.com

May jobs report: Hiring slows, unemployment rises

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Businesses hired far fewer workers than expected in May, throwing into doubt the strength of the economic recovery.

Only 69,000 jobs were added last month, the weakest growth in a year. The unemployment rate rose to 8.2%, as people rejoined the labor force.

Economists surveyed by CNNMoney had expected to see employers add 150,000 jobs and the unemployment rate to remain at 8.1%.

Revisions from previous months also showed the economy gained 49,000 fewer jobs in March and April than originally thought.

Private companies sharply cut back on hiring last month, adding only a meager 82,000 jobs. Employment increased in health care, transportation and wholesale trade, but declined in construction. Employment was little changed in most other major industries.

The public sector continued to shed jobs, losing 13,000 in May.

The figure stunned most economists, who laid the blame for the slow growth at the feet of Europe and Washington D.C. The steady drumbeat of headlines concerning Europe's financial woes, as well as the looming fiscal cliff in the U.S., is weighing on consumer confidence. Adding to the problems is the slowdown in the Chinese economy.

"It was really shockingly low," said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, who said small businesses have pulled back from hiring as customers dried up.

The rising unemployment rate contained a glimmer of good news. It increased because 642,000 people re-entered the labor force, often a sign of economic optimism.

Economy: Are you better off?

But the overall job market still has a long way to go to climb out of the deep hole left by the financial crisis. Of the 8.8 million jobs lost, only about 3.8 million have been added back.

Roughly 12.7 million Americans remain unemployed, and 42.8% of them have been so for six months or more. The number of long-term unemployed rose to 5.4 million, up from 5.1 million.

source: CNN