Australian Expatriates Living the High Life
Herald Sun (Australia) (07/14/09)
One in five Australian expatriates earns more than US$250,000 annually, according to research by HSBC Bank Australia on 3,100 expats working in 50 countries. The survey found that Australians who work abroad are living affluently, while foreign expats who work in Australia have among the lowest salaries of all the countries surveyed. The survey found that 63 percent of foreign expats in Australia earn less than US$100,000 annually. The survey also found that 46 percent of Australian expats have an extra US$4,000 or so in disposable income each month and have hired help such as maids or nannies. Graham Heunis, the head of personal finance services at HSBC Australia, says expats in Russia, Asia, and the Middle East were the highest paid, while expats in Belgium and Australia earned the lowest salaries. Still, many Australians working abroad are mulling whether to move back home because of the worldwide financial downturn. "Expats living in Australia are reporting the lowest salaries, but are nevertheless keen to stay put, while a third of the Australians living overseas are considering a return home," Heunis reports.

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China Warns Companies in Algeria to Heighten Security
Bloomberg (07/15/09)
China's government has issued a warning to all Chinese located in Algeria to heighten security. The warning follows a threat, identified by risk analysis company Stirling Assynt, by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb against the 50,000 Chinese workers in Algeria and Chinese nationals and projects throughout northwest Africa. The threat is reportedly the group's reaction to unrest between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in China's Xinjiang province that has thus far left 192 people dead. Most recently, police shot and killed two Uighur men armed with knives and sticks who were calling for jihad. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is the first militant group to formally react to the violence in Xinjiang province. The group, which supports the creation of an Islamic state in Algeria, was founded in the mid-1990s and pledged its allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2003. Three weeks ago the group ambushed a convoy of Algerian security forces protecting Chinese engineers, killing 24 Algerians.

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French Workers Ratchet Up Threats
New York Times (07/15/09) Jolly, David
French workers have threatened to blow up factories if they do not receive more severance pay. Workers at a closing Nortel Networks research center said they were prepared to blow up gas canisters around the building. After authorities and company officials agreed to negotiate; however, workers revealed the threat to be a hoax. The Nortel threats followed a situation at a plant owned by sinking automaker New Fabris where workers said they were prepared to destroy the factory and their equipment if workers did not each receive $42,000 in additional severance. In reaction to these threats, French Labor Minister Xavier Darcos said the government would continue to search for nonviolent options but warned that more layoffs were likely as struggling companies continue to downsize.

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Johannesburg Cheapest for Expatriates
allAfrica.com (07/08/09) Isa, Mariam
A global survey by Mercer concluded that Johannesburg, South Africa, is the least expensive city for expatriates. The city's ranking fell three notches to 143 this year, in a dollar-based cost of living index compiled in March. A year ago, the least expensive city was Asuncion, Paraguay. Similarly, Tokyo replaced Moscow as the costliest city in the world for expatriates. Mercer said that currency fluctuations and gains in the dollar caused key changes in the rankings. "Tokyo scores 143,7 points and is nearly three times as costly as Johannesburg with an index score of 49.6," Mercer said. The city of Osaka, Japan, rose nine places to be the second most expensive city. The survey involved 143 cities on six continents and compares the costs for more than 200 factors, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment. The aim of the assessment is to help government and multinational firms establish compensation allowances for their expatriate workers who are assumed to earn their salaries in dollars.

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Americans Lend a Hand to New Liberia
USA Today (07/14/09) Holder, Christina
Six years after a peace accord ended 14 years of civil war in Liberia, U.S. investors including Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson have been working to help rebuild the war-shattered country. Johnson opened up an $8 million four-star resort in June near Monrovia, the country's capital, hoping to spur business there. "In order for Liberia to move forward, it has to bring in outside business and outside support from various international agencies and corporations," Johnson says. "They obviously must have somewhere to stay." The country is already host to thousands of United Nations peacekeepers and other international workers, and Scholastica Doe, assistant minister for tourism, says that Johnson's Kendeja Resort & Villas "can at least set the ball rolling" for the future. However, the resort runs the risk of becoming a "another one of those white elephants" remaining vacant if there is no plant to target guests able to afford the resort's prices. Liberia, founded in 1822 by freed black people from the United States, elected its first democratically elected female president in 2005 in the form of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Johnson, who is no relation to Sirleaf, says that she asked him to build the resort to help encourage investors to visit the country. Johnson has also pledged $30 million in funding himself via his Liberia Enterprise Development Fund.

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Foreign Workers Overqualified for Maltese Jobs—University Study
Maltatoday (07/05/09)
Migrant workers seem to be overqualified and participate less than others in education and training, according to a study by Malta’s Centre for Labour Studies for the European Working Conditions Observatory. The report says that 35 percent of migrants have a tertiary level of education, but only 28 percent have managerial or professional jobs. These figures contrast with data that shows that 18 percent of the general population have a tertiary level of education, but 19 percent are in managerial or professional jobs. "These immigrants experience difficulties to find regular employment, and when they do, they are often offered the low-skilled jobs which the Maltese workers refuse," the study says. The study notes that although the government is trying to manage irregular migration, more effort needs to be put into integrating migrants into the workforce.

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Expatriates Come Home to Dole
New Zealand Herald (06/26/09) Trevett, Claire
Approximately 26,000 New Zealanders have returned to their country over the past year, according to Employment Minister Paula Bennett. Of these, approximately 3,000 are now receiving unemployment benefits--more than one in nine of all those returning. Bennett told the industrial relations select committee on June 25 that such high numbers are worrisome, especially because many of the expatriates were highly skilled. She observed that, "if they have an expectation of coming back and going into a job that paid the same they got overseas or is at the same level, some are finding that's certainly not the reality for them." Department of Labour Deputy Secretary of Work Directions Monique Dawson said more New Zealanders are also returning home due to rising immigration restrictions in other countries amid the recession. Green MP Sue Bradford said Australia had absorbed some of New Zealand's unemployment in the past, but that at present, its unemployment levels are rising. Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman issued a press release asserting that the Government was delivering on its pledge to curb the flow of workers going overseas. The press release said the net annual inflow of migrants had reached its highest level in two years and that departures to Australia and Britain had fallen significantly as people chose "to either stay in New Zealand or return home to build a better, brighter, and more prosperous future under the National Government."

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Bill Seeks to Attract Foreign Bankers
Moscow Times (07/14/09) Popova, Nadia
Lawmakers in Russia will consider a proposed measure that if passed, would eliminate the need for foreigners to obtain work permits. The measure would also extend visas to five years for foreigners employed in the financial sector, up from one year. The aim is to facilitate Moscow's transformation into a global financial hub. The author of the proposed legislation, A Just Russia deputy named Kira Lukyanova, wants to make parents of foreigners eligible for the five-year visas as well. "If the bill is passed, we may think of expanding the eased visa and work permit regulations to other sectors where many foreigners work," said Lukyanova. The bill would initially apply to foreigners working in banks, insurance companies, nongovernmental pension funds, specialized depositories, the securities market, and companies managing mutual, investment and nongovernmental funds. Although foreigners would no longer need to have work permits, their employers would have to notify the Federal Migration Service and send documents to prove their qualifications, according to the bill. Lukyanova said European Union countries, the United States, and selected other nations would be on the list of countries that would fall under the eased rules, although all foreign banks working in Russia would be eligible irrespective of their country or origin, she said

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Residential Leasing—the Laws of Demand and Supply
AsiaOne (07/11/09) Wong, Jacqueline; Sim, Desmond
Roughly 25 percent of Singapore's 4.84 million residents are foreigners, who tend to steer the leasing market. When expatriates select their lodgings, they should consider such things as transportation, schools, proximity to workplace, and amenities like malls and expatriate clubs. Housing budgets for expatriates are seeing cuts of 10 percent to 20 percent, which will likely prompt them to seek smaller units or discounted rents to boost savings. An estimated 4,000 prime residential units are expected to be completed by 2011, including luxury and prime units. However, if the economy does not improve and demand remains soft, landlords will face increased competition as tenants enjoy greater choices. In 2009, supply continues to be limited, however, especially at prime locations and larger luxury units like The Claymore, Claymore Point, Four Seasons Park, Ardmore Park, The Colonnade, Regency Park, and Yong An Park. Expatriate leasing arrangements tend to be in three forms--personal lease, corporate lease, and corporate lease with personal indemnity. Under a personal lease, the leasing contract is between the employee and the landlord, and the employee is responsible for expenses. A corporate lease is where the landlord deals directly with the employer, and represents the most common component of an expatriate relocation package. A corporate lease with personal indemnity requires the employer to sign a leasing contract with the landlord while the employee bears the personal indemnity.

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Dubai Recruitment Advertising Drops
Bernama News Agency (07/13/09)
Recruitment advertising has fallen in Dubai and in other Gulf nations, according to GulfTalent.com, an online research firm. Dubai-based job vacancies advertised on the website accounted for 30 percent of all GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) positions in the first half of the year, compared with 43 percent a year ago, with Kuwait and Bahrain seeing similar declines. Abu Dhabi's portion of job vacancies advertised increased from 14 percent to 23 percent, and the countries of Qatar and Saudi Arabia saw comparable increases. The study suggested, however, that the UAE might be experiencing an increase in the outflow of expatriates. It found that 26 percent of all job applications submitted by UAE residents were sent to job vacancies in other Gulf countries, compared to 16 percent a year ago. Still, the departure rate of expatriates in the UAE remains the lowest in the region as the majority of expatriates are opting to remain in the country. Expatriates represented 90 percent of UAE's workforce, according to the report. Declining demand for employees has been the most severe in the areas of administration, marketing, and investment, including private equity and portfolio management. Regional economic growth is anticipated to resume healthy levels by 2010.

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Expatriates React Strongly to Culture Test for Residence Visa
Khaleej Times (07/08/09)
The Federal National Council (FNC) has announced that there will be a cultural test included in residency visa procedures. Expatriates in the UAE reacted strongly, while many residents who wrote into the Khaleej Times commented that expatriates do not fully understand the UAE's identity. "That's good. The people who are living in this country should know the common things about this country," says Emran Albalushi, an Ajman resident. However, other residents argued that while knowing about the country is important, requiring a test is not a good way to teach expatriates. One resident suggested that a guidebook could be provided with a visa. Some felt that a cultural test is only needed if expatriates are trying to become citizens in the country, and that it would not ensure that the culture is understood or respected. “Respect and value for culture cannot be obtained by pressure," says M Murli of Sharjah. "Such measures are deemed necessary due to non-confidence, fear and inability of the culture to be accepted voluntarily by others. This acceptance and respect can be gained only by its own spiritual, moral and ethical virtues and not by enforcement of any draconian laws.”

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U.K. Plans Massive Swine-Flu Vaccination
Wall Street Journal (07/15/09) Whalen, Jeanne
The British government has announced that it is planning to launch a vaccination program to stop the spread of swine flu. According to a spokeswoman for Britain's Department of Health, the government will offer free flu shots to all of its 60 million residents once the vaccine becomes available this fall. The spokeswoman noted that the government will not require everyone to get a flu shot, however. Under the government's plan, vulnerable groups such as healthcare workers, children, and pregnant women will be vaccinated first. The government also has enough antiviral medication on hand to treat half of its population, though it is planning to obtain more of the medication so it can treat 80 percent of the population. The announcement of the government's swine flu vaccination program comes amid speculation from U.K. Health Secretary Andy Burnham that the number of new swine flu infections could rise to 100,000 a day by the end of August if current infection rates hold steady. However, Burnham has said that this was simply a projection, and that the vast majority of Britain's 7,447 confirmed cases of swine flu have been mild. Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading, said he did not believe that the number of new cases of swine flu would grow as quickly as Burnham has predicted, though he did say that the U.K. could have 500,000 cases of the disease by the end of the year.

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