Every fifth worker in the world works more than 9 hours a day
More than 600 million people, or 22% of the world's working-age population, work more than 48 hours a week. According to AFP News, this is stated in a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Working Time Around the World.
Since most countries have a five-day workweek, this means that a fifth of the population works more than 9 hours a day. The most employed are workers in the restaurant business, as well as retail and wholesale trade. The ILO notes that the opportunity for women to find paid work is significantly limited by the fact that they have to run a household and spend a lot of time on it.
The ILO believes that attempts to shorten the working day are hindered both by employers who use overtime and by low wages that force people to work longer to receive satisfactory compensation. According to Lenta.ru, as a recommendation, the ILO proposes creating special commissions to monitor the length of the working day at enterprises, as well as compliance with workers' rights.
In 2006, 180 thousand people requested asylum in the EU
Over 180 thousand nationals from third countries requested asylum in European Union member states in 2006, said EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini.
Frattini also stated that between September 2003 and December 2005, through the European system for comparing digital fingerprints of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants (Eurodac), it was established that 12% of asylum applications were submitted by the same individuals to two EU countries simultaneously.
US sets 5-year limit on labor migration
The US Senate voted in favor of an amendment to the new immigration legislation bill supported by the White House. According to AP, with 49 votes against 48, senators approved the establishment of a five-year limit on the program to attract temporary foreign labor.
The author of the amendment, Senator Byron Dorgan from North Dakota, believes that labor migrants occupy too many jobs that could be claimed by the country's citizens. Notably, this change to the bill was rejected in a vote held in the Senate a week earlier. Shortly before, legislators had already reduced the White House's proposed quota for attracting foreign workers from 400 thousand to 200 thousand.
Residents of old states and Berliners are leaving Germany
According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, Germany is experiencing a trend toward emigration. Both native Germans and ethnic German resettlers are leaving the country.
In 2006, 155 thousand German citizens left the country – 7% more than a year earlier. The favorite countries for German emigrants remain, first and foremost, German-speaking Switzerland and Austria, as well as the United States.
Most often, residents of the old federal states and Berlin leave the country. The statistics do not indicate the reasons for emigration, but according to the data, it concerns native Germans, ethnic German resettlers, or citizens with acquired German citizenship.
In total last year, 662 thousand immigrants arrived in Germany, of which 558 thousand were foreigners. About 639 thousand left for other countries, 484 thousand of whom were foreigners. Statisticians note that the trend toward emigration among foreign citizens living in the country is growing, while the number of citizens from other countries arriving in Germany is steadily declining.
The migration pattern within the country is as follows: in 2006, 136 thousand Germans moved from east to west and registered in the old states, while 82 thousand made the reverse journey, but that is 6 thousand less than in 2005.
The unemployed counted
The number of unemployed is decreasing in Europe, while in the US it is rising. The unemployment rate in the eurozone fell to 7.1% in April 2007 from 7.2% in March, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.
According to EuroNews, unemployment in Germany is at its lowest level in five and a half years. During May, 160 thousand residents of Germany registered at job centers found work. Over the past 12 months, the unemployment rate in Germany fell to 9.1% of the country's working-age population. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the year, every tenth German was still unemployed.
Results were also tallied in the US. The number of employed persons in the economy there, excluding the agricultural sector, rose by 157 thousand in May 2007 compared to a revised downward increase of 80 thousand the previous month. The unemployment rate in the US rose to 4.5% in May. This is 0.1% more than in April (4.4%). Average hourly wages rose by 0.3% to $17.3 per hour. According to forecasts by analysts on Wall Street, the unemployment rate will remain at 4.5% in June, and hourly wages will again rise by 0.3%. The average workweek will be 33.8 hours.
There are more Chinese migrant workers in Russia
China has taken first place in the number of officially registered labor migrants in Russia, surpassing Ukraine in this indicator. This was stated by the head of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) of Russia, Vyacheslav Postavnin.
According to his data, out of all labor migrants, more than 20% are Chinese. Out of 1 million officially registered migrant workers, 210 thousand came from China. For comparison, according to FMS data from mid-2006, only 120 thousand Ukrainians work in Russia.
40% of migrant workers from China work in Moscow, and 23% in the Far East. In this region, as well as in the Siberian Federal District, every second labor migrant is Chinese. The head of the Federal Migration Service noted that due to the increase in the number of migrants from the PRC, it is necessary to develop a regulatory framework that will create a basis for relations in the field of migration policy.
In some sectors of the economy, Russia has recently been trying to limit the influx of migrants. In particular, since April 1, foreigners are banned from being sellers in markets. Since January 1, 2007, they have also lost the right to trade alcohol and medicines.
Czechs believe there are too many foreigners in the country
Every second Czech believes that the percentage of foreigners living in the Czech Republic is too high. The majority of Czech residents believe that foreigners should assimilate as quickly as possible.
12% of citizens (mostly from socially weak strata, supporters of the Communist Party, and people with low levels of education) hold the opinion that foreigners should not be allowed to live in the Republic at all. These data were provided by the Czech Public Opinion Research Center. Its sources indicate that last year foreigners made up 2.5% of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic, which is considered a low figure compared to other EU member states.
Estonia tightens measures against smokers
Estonia has tightened measures against smoking. According to the tobacco law adopted back in 2005, from June 5, in public catering places, including restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, Estonians will be able to smoke only in specially equipped rooms. Smoking is also allowed in outdoor cafes. A complete ban on smoking is introduced at bus stops, pedestrian crossings, and building entrances.
Compliance with the rules will be monitored by the Consumer Protection Board, police, health inspectorate, and local authorities. The maximum fine for an enterprise violating the ban is 30,000 kroons (about €2,000), and for a smoker - up to 1,200 kroons (about €77). According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, there are approximately 355,000 smokers aged 16-64 in Estonia.
Russian trains will have male and female compartments
Russian Railways have introduced the possibility of gender segregation in all compartment and SV cars of their trains. From July 1, passengers, when purchasing a ticket, will have to indicate the desired type of compartment – male, female, or mixed.
Initially, compartments in the train are not marked in any way – the passenger who first buys a ticket for a given compartment determines its type. Obviously, a significant portion of compartments will be mixed – only in them can families and couples travel together.
In addition to the possibility of choosing the gender of fellow travelers, the innovation also contains some inconveniences. In particular, there will inevitably be cases when a passenger cannot buy a ticket even if there are vacant seats on the train, if those seats are in compartments marked by the system for passengers of the opposite gender. Thus, the number of people who cannot leave will increase. This danger is especially high during the peak summer travel season, just before which separate compartments are being introduced.
Since January 15, the system has been operating in test mode in several cars on a dozen RZD trains. Most seats in the test cars were taken by passengers who had not intended to choose the gender of their fellow travelers, but simply bought the remaining seats. Now this system has been extended to all Russian trains.