Labour exchange

Finland’s government is planning to attract workers through employment exchange co-operation with countries that joined the EU in May 2004, website NewsRoom Finland has reported. Olli Sorainen of the Finnish labour ministry’s immigration policy department said southern Finland especially needed labour. The goal of the planned co-operation scheme, part of the government’s wider immigration policy programme, is to distribute information on working and living in Finland to potential entrants. The plan mentions Poland as an example of a target country.

Engineer shortage in SA

Creamer Media’s Engineering News has reported that South Africa, hosting the World Cup in 2010, has a shortage of 60,000 engineers. The shortfall, which recruitment firm Adcorp chief executive Richard Pike described as “escalating”, was also evident in recent figures of the top advertised jobs in South Africa’s private and government sectors. A survey published in BusinessTimes Careers showed engineers and managers were the two most-advertised jobs in the private sector between July 2005 and June 2006.

Hudson sells Highland

Hudson Highland Group has sold its Highland Partners executive search business to Heidrick & Struggles International for up to $51.6m (£27m). Up to $15.6m is dependent on the achievement of certain future revenue streams.

Blacklisted agencies

More than 50 Bahrain recruitment agencies have been blacklisted by the Philippines Embassy, meaning the embassy will not process contracts for Filipino workers on their behalf. The Indian Embassy said it had blacklisted a total of 49 Bahraini firms for allegedly cheating their workers. Bahrain Recruiters Society (BRS) president Ali Alshoala said the blacklisting of manpower agencies, companies and individual employers went against Bahrain’s Labour Law.