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Foreign workers will ease Japan’s labour shortage

Location:

JAPAN

Near-stagnation in wages is difficult to reconcile with reports of a very tight labour market in which firms struggle to hire. The answer lies partly in much higher levels of…

Industry digitalisation will remain uneven in Brazil

Location:

BRAZIL

The survey, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), shows that 84.9% of industrial firms applied at least one digital technology in 2022, with cloud…

Gaza war puts US corporates in a tight spot

Location:

US

Speaking out risks a backlash from employees and other stakeholders for 'picking sides', while saying nothing risks castigation for moral vacuity or being held complicit by…

Japan’s wage hikes will expand income gaps

Location:

JAPAN

Elevating stagnant wages is Tokyo’s top priority and anti-deflation tool, necessary in creating a virtuous cycle of rising prices and incomes that boosts economic growth.

Immigration is key to US job market and economic plans

Location:

UNITED STATES

Behind this workforce expansion is higher immigration that has allowed considerably more new jobs without raising real wages. Immigration explains some of the strength in…

No end in sight for Japan’s economic stagnation

Location:

JAPAN

Lower household consumption, residential investment and companies’ capital investment all contributed to the 2.9% (annualised) contraction. Although inflation is decelerating…

Prospects for the US economy in 2024

Location:

PROSPECTS 2024

The Federal Reserve (Fed) has raised interest rates from zero in March 2022 to 5.25-5.5% and has reduced its bond holdings from nearly USD9tn to USD7.8tn. While the Inflation…

Chilean government's pension 'win' will prove limited

Location:

CHILE

However, its key provision -- an increase in the system’s defined contribution -- was rejected by the Lower House. The government will have to negotiate key parts of the bill…

China will remain a key investment destination

Location:

CHINA

A crackdown by the authorities on foreign multinationals operating in China, via an amended anti-espionage law, and tightening data control have emerged as considerable…

Commercial property poses risks for narrow focus banks

Location:

EUROPE

Banks in larger EU states are heavily exposed to European and US CRE markets, which have further to fall in 2024. Writedowns are underway, dealing a blow to sentiment and harming…