4 in 10 single Japanese men in their 20s have never been on a date, new government report finds

A staggering 40% of Japanese men in their 20s say they have never gone on a date, according to a new report from the Japanese government.

Japanese authorities surveyed 20,000 people from their 20s to their 60s from December 2021 to January, polling them on a variety of questions related to marriage and income. The findings of the survey were released this month in the government’s white paper on gender equality.

The survey revealed that four in ten of the single men in their 20s surveyed had never been on a date. The questionnaire asked those in their 20s if they were married or single, and if they had ever dated anyone. 

The rate of singlehood amongst the Japanese men surveyed did not appear to drop drastically with age. Around 35% of the men in their 30s polled by authorities said they had never been on a date. And in their 40s, 22% of the men surveyed still said they had never dated.

Women, meanwhile, polled very differently on the same questions. Around 25% of the women in their 20s surveyed said they had never dated. The figure dropped to just over 22% for women in their 30s. And by their 40s, just 12% of the women polled said they had never once dated. 

According to the same report, one in four Japanese singles in their 30s — regardless of gender — also said that they had no desire to get married. According to the survey, 26.5% of the men in their 30s did not want to get married, as did 25.4% of the women polled. 

Both men and women cited their desire for freedom as a key reason for not getting married. Female respondents in particular cited losing their jobs, financial instability, and having to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework as reasons why they would choose to not marry.

Japan’s birth rate has come under great scrutiny — even from individuals like Elon Musk, who warned in May that Japan will “cease to exist” if it does not raise its birth rate.

In 2021, Japan recorded the lowest number of births in the country in over a century. Last year also saw a record natural decline in the Japanese population.

Source: Cheryl Teh, Insider

Which part of the day are you most productive at work?

Which part of the day are you most productive at work? Working remotely across the world has made it impossible for employers to physically supervise their staff, which in effect caused them to lose a bit of sense of how their employees are being productive.

45% of the 2,500 full-time employees in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam said they are productive for about five to six hours during a workday, with 25% saying they are productive for seven to eight hours.

Majority of these employees also said they are productive during the first half of the workday, from 8 a.m. to 12:59 p.m., with Tuesday being the most productive day.

#singapore #productivity #companyculture #relocation #leadership #indonesia #sales #coaching #asia #work #hr

What are the 10 most sought-after travel destinations for women in Asia?

What are the 10 most sought-after travel destinations for women in APAC? Everyone’s itching for some form of travel – be it for a short getaway, or a long holiday. On that note, with today being International Women’s Day, YouGov’s latest poll showcases where women in APAC would like to travel to mark this special day.

Diving into Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia specifically, here are the top 10 preferred holiday destinations as voted by women respondents.

>Singapore
In Singapore, the number one travel destination as indicated by women was Japan at 45%, followed by Taiwan and South Korea at 33% and 31% respectively. Not far off, New Zealand (30%) and Australia (29%) also managed to feature in the top five.

>Indonesia
Moving over to Indonesia respondents, Bali by far topped the list at 47%. Coming in second is South Korea, while Switzerland featured in the top five with 17% of the votes, the only European destination in the top ten. Following close behind are two Middle East destinations: Dubai (16%) and Saudi Arabia (14%).

>Thailand
Interestingly, domestic travel received over half of the votes of Thailand’s respondents at 51%. Meanwhile, Japan (41%) and South Korea (24%) managed to achieve a spot in the top three. Moving a little further, Switzerland also received slightly less than a quarter of the votes at 23%

>Australia
Most women in Australia chose New Zealand (39%) as their top travel destination. Similar to Thailand, domestic travel was also a popular option — the remaining nine out of the top 10 destinations chosen were within Australia itself. Queensland (38%), Tasmania (33%), Australia (30%), and New South Wales (29%) took up the top five spots apart from New Zealand.

Taking a deeper look, data shows that the aesthetic value of the holiday destination, low travel costs (e.g. cheap flights, hotels, activities) and the temperature / climate of their holiday destination are the top factors influencing how women in these four markets select their next vacation spot.

Low travel costs are a top factor for women across all three Southeast Asian markets of Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.

On the other hand, women in Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand say outstanding natural beauty are a major consideration when they choose where to visit for their next holiday. Meanwhile, the temperature/climate of leisure destinations is also top of mind for women in Singapore and Australia.

#travel #tourism #internationalwomensday2022 #iwd2022 #culture #relocation #globalmobility #sales #asia #singapore #australia #indonesia #thailand

‘Lunchtime facelift’: the latest beauty trend in image-conscious China

As the Chinese government targets cosmetic surgery as part of a campaign to “purify” social values, so-called micro-procedures such as fillers, laser skin treatments and “thread lifts” are growing in popularity.

Costing a fraction of traditional plastic surgery, the cosmetic procedures are also seen as less invasive. They are all the rage among mainland consumers who turn to surgically enhanced looks to better their prospects in the job market.

The “lunchtime facelift” and other “medical aesthetics” procedures are booming as a new generation of Chinese consumers grapple with the pressure to look good on social media as well as in person.

The government has banned industry advertising practices that contribute to “appearance anxiety” such as before-and-after images, and has levied tens of millions of dollars in fines this year over various infractions.

The Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics estimates, overall, the cosmetic industry will grow to $46 billion this year compared to around $6.5 billion in 2013.

#china #culture #leadership #ccp #asia #sales #health #plasticsurgery #beauty #medical

Wondering where you might be able to plan safe international travels for 2022?

Wondering where you might be able to plan safe international travels for 2022? Specialized insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) has taken out the guesswork in the course of compiling its seventh annual State of Travel Insurance report.

World’s Top 10 Safest Countries:
1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Canada
4. Sweden
5. Japan
6. Australia
7. Switzerland
8. Ireland
9. Germany
10. United Kingdom

This year, everything from COVID-19 to staffing and equipment, weather and global warming factored prominently into the weighted score assigned to each destination.

The report ranks the top 10 safest counties to travel to right now, as well as the top 10 safest cities around the globe.

See other reports and data in the pics and article provided.

#insurance #travelinsurance #travelandtourism #lifestyleandleisure #worldtravel #travel #canada #australia #unitedkingdom #newzealand #japan #tourism #relocation #airports #airlines #globalmobility #culture #asia

IQ or EQ? Managing company cultures in foreign countries

When sending employees overseas, it’s important for employers to carefully select the person they’re going to deploy. But how exactly should employers choose who among staff is the best suited for an expatriate role?

New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology said that organisations should seek out employees with high implicit aptitude rather than those with high IQ.

Nanyang Business School Singapore, said in a statement that while people with higher IQ were better in learning information through conscious effort, “people with higher implicit aptitude are better able to automatically pick up complex patterns in the environment without conscious effort.”

It helps amid the “complex and noisy regularities” overseas that make it difficult for employees to explicitly learn local norms, which can ultimately influence work performance, according to Michael Morris, a professor at Columbia Business School.

This also suggests that explicit instructions may only play a limited role in helping expatriates overseas, according to the research.

In the past, a separate study also said that these are the qualities of a successful expatriate, as also cited by Chris Pardo of Plus Relocation Services:

* emotional stability
* openness to change and an ability to adjust/adapt to different customs, perspectives, and business practices
* cross-cultural interest and sensitivity
* very strong interpersonal skills
* flexibility
* resiliency
* respect for diverse viewpoints
* a high level of autonomy
* a sense of humour

A number of tests can be carried out by employers to find who among its staff have a high implicit aptitude for expatriate assignments and then support them with professional cultural business training and coaching.

#coaching #training #learning #people #socialpsychology #change #work #respect #research #environment #school #singapore #asia #culture #relocation #globalmobility #business #sales

Looking for love? In China, many singles are putting their hearts in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Looking for love? In China, many singles are putting their hearts in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Slumping marriage and birth rates – and the knock-on effects of economic stagnation and an ageing workforce – are leading China’s Communist Party to increasingly act as matchmaker.

CCP youth branches are increasingly organising events and social introductions for singles, as the world’s most populous nation deals with a gender imbalance amounting to tens of millions more men than women.

Marriage rates have slumped across the country. In 2020, 8.14 million couples registered to marry compared with 13.47 million in 2013, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Meanwhile, birth rates plunged to 7.52 births per 1,000 people last year, according to NBS data – the lowest figure since 1949 when communist China was founded.

Beijing is unwinding decades of strict family planning controls – announcing last May that couples can have three children – and rolling out cooling-off periods for divorce to slow separations.

But rural matchmakers said the gender imbalance, especially stark in the countryside, meant love and marriage may be out of reach for some.

#china #culture #ccp #leadership #marriage #love #valentinesday #relocation #sales #coaching #chinese #asia #globalmobility

Source: SCMP

7 Questions to Ask Your New Boss

Now that you got that new job (or getting a new one!), what questions should you be asking your new boss – or current boss? The most important relationship to get right when starting a new job is the one with your boss.

How do you build trust right from the beginning? And how do you get the feedback you need to succeed?

Here are the top 7 Questions to Ask Your Boss:

1. Who should I meet with outside of our team? Although we have come a long way to make organizations more talent-centric and merit-based, the old premise is still true: what you know is often less important than who you know.

2. How do you prefer to communicate? With many people uncertain about their short-term work environment — working from home, returning to the office, some type of hybrid work, etc. — it is important to be flexible about how you can best communicate with your manager, particularly if you have never met them in person.

3. What’s the best way to ask for your input and feedback? Establishing a cadence where you can get regular feedback on how you are doing, even via 15-minutes weekly chats or regular email check-ins, will help you regulate and calibrate your efforts to improve your performance.

4. What can I do to support the team and add value to the organization? This question will enable you to clarify your role, align with your boss on expectations, and strategically prioritize tasks and efforts.

5. What would you do if you were in my shoes? This question will not just invite your manager to empathize with you — allowing them to see things from your perspective — it will also show them that you respect them and appreciate their expertise.

6. How can I further develop my potential?
You can nudge your boss to play this role by asking them to assess and develop your potential. This means going beyond your performance to focus also on what you could do. In a world that is increasingly pushing us to reskill and upskill, it is hard to underestimate the importance of expanding our horizons and being open to reimagining or reinventing our talents to future-proof our career.

7. What could I be doing better? After a few weeks on the job, asking this question may encourage your boss to provide you with much-needed guidance for closing the gap between how you are performing and what your boss expects from you. In their attempt to avoid conflict and maintain positive morale, many managers find it hard to provide employees with negative evaluations, so wording your feedback request in this way can help them focus on your improvement areas.

Source: HBR

#culture #asia #leadership #sales #jobs #managament #consulting #relocation #interview #coaching #boss #promotion #newjob #recruitment #travel #technology

The workforce in 2022: 15 trends that will shape hiring, learning, working, and more

With 2022 here, this interesting briefing shows 15 key predictions leaders should look out for in the year, with a greater focus on how hiring would change, new ways of exploring L&D, and more on the engaging roles for HR leaders.

Here are the top 5 trends:

#1 The economy will grow—with a constrained labour force

#2 Hybrid work will evolve: enter the metaverse

#3 Learning, skills, and career pathways will become business-critical

#4 Coaching will develop PowerSkills in everyone

#5 Talent acquisition and internal mobility will converge

The workforce in 2022: 15 trends that will shape hiring, learning, working, and more

#hr #sales #asia #leadership #culture #careers #softskills #businessandmanagement #coaching #leaders #change

How can your brand effectively tap into the 5 new post-pandemic consumer segments in Asia?

How can your brand effectively tap into the 5 new post-pandemic consumer segments in Asia? Consumer attitudes and behaviours have drastically changed in the past 18 months. Marketers need to think about newly shaped Asian consumer behaviour in order to win in the rebound.

Here’s a snapshot of the 5 new post-pandemic consumer segments in Asia. How can your brand effectively tap into them in Asia and do you personally fall into one of these categories?

1. Revenge spenders – This is the group that obviously seems the most attractive. With lots of spare cash and chomping at the bit to make up for a lost year, they are looking for a release and won’t mind spending to achieve it.

2. Resetters – This group will take a much less hedonistic approach to the post-pandemic situation. Resetters may have already had an existing predisposition to “reset” their behaviour before COVID-19, and the pandemic has simply accelerated and scaled up their intentions to affect a major reset of their previous consumer attitudes and behaviours.

3. Rationers – Rationers are the ultimate pragmatists of Asia. They have survived COVID-19 by being conservative with their spending and have a surplus of savings. They’ve probably been through tough times in the past, so will be in no hurry to burn through their savings.

4. Rewarders – This segment may not have much money to spend, but will do what they can to make life as enjoyable as possible post-lockdown. Rewarders are life’s optimists, seeking out everyday treats.

5. Recovering – This group already existed before COVID-19, consisting of long-term unemployed, low paid, part-time employed and those with long-term illness. However, this segment has grown during the pandemic to include those people made redundant from the hospitality, tourism, retail and services sectors.

Brands will have to navigate a much more complex consumer psychology; shaped not only by economics, but also by the emotional impact the pandemic has had on them.

In messaging, brands might have to look for new psychological and emotional contexts to use as targeting cues. And most importantly, the ways brands present themselves may need to tread a fine line: sensitive to the situation of the recovering and the bunker mentality of the rationers, while benefiting from the exuberance of the revenge spenders. 

Source: VCCP, Alex Zhang

#money #retail #brand #economics #tourism #marketingtips #culture #leadership #asia #sales #consumerbehavior #asiabusiness #coaching #relocation #digitalmarketing #technology