Changing employment relations in the Asia-Pacific region

Abstract

Discusses the employment relations (ER) of seven countries: Australia, New Zealand and Japan have in different ways been restructuring their ER for increased flexibility. The South Korean process of democratisation has included a reduction in state regulation of unions. Taiwan's democratisation has led its government to become more active in ER. The People's Republic of China's transition from a highly regulated to a "socialist market" economy has had significant implications for ER. In Indonesia, the end of the Soharto regime offered opportunities for greater recognition of workers' interests, but these were checked initially by political instabilities and the 1997 Asian economic crisis.