When money is not the key to happiness

May 24, 2011

MEMO FROM BEIJING

Study finds relatively poor Shijiazhuang is China's happiest city

By Grace Ng, China Correspondent

Women forming the word 'happy' at a Guangzhou bikini contest in southern Guangdong province earlier this month. The Chinese Communist Party leadership is on a drive to make citizens happy as it strives to keep social stability by showing it cares about their well-being. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE people of Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei province and an industrial hub, have reason to cheer.

This month, the city with a population of about 11 million was named China's happiest city.

Job-seekers willing but unqualified

May 29, 2011

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN INDONESIA

Growing pool of young people lacking in skills and education

By Zubaidah Nazeer, Indonesia Correspondent

An ILO report said job openings for the young had not improved since the 1990s. They are typically low-paying or may be temporary. -- PHOTO: AFP

Jakarta: Diploma holder Yuni Sugrondo has jumped from one contract job to another in the last three years.

Her stints as administrative assistant paid up to 1.5 million rupiah (S$220) a month, just enough to buy food and contribute to her family's expenses for their house.

The 24-year-old, who studied management at a private institute in Jakarta, has not been able to find a permanent job. Employers tell her she lacks specific skills for the jobs in human resources that she really wants.

'That is why I want to take a course in human resources so I can get into that industry. But first I need to earn enough to save money,' she said.

Be happy! It's not all about economic growth

OECD launches 'happiness index' to better measure quality of life

PARIS: Perhaps a country's success is not just a matter of economic growth after all.

The tacit acknowledgement came from no less than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which yesterday launched a so-called 'happiness index' to better measure the quality of life.

SA 1 Results

Osama bin Laden dead

"Justice has been done," President Obama says in a televised speech to the nation. Bin Laden, mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks and Al Qaeda leader, was killed by a CIA-led team at a compound inside Pakistan