Australia
Legal recruiter GR Law has opened a new office in Melbourne, Australia. The office, set to open after the Australian Bank Holiday at the end of
January, will be managed by Kelly Rogers, who currently runs the firm’s Sydney office.

US
Unemployment in the US has reached its highest level for 26 years, according to figures from the US Labor Department. The number of people still on jobless rolls, after drawing an initial week of aid, increased by 101,000 to 4.6m in the week ended 27 December, the highest
since November 1982.

France
International recruiter Randstad plans to cut 489 jobs and close 85 branches in France, to save more than €25m (£22.7m) annually. The branch
closures, which were attributed to difficult market conditions, follow the planned 72 branch closures under the merger of Randstad France and
VediorBis.

Canada
Unemployment will reach 8% in Canada, according to a report from the Canadian Conference Board. The report shows that there will be a temporary reversal in Canada’s 14-year trend of tightening labour markets, pushing the unemployment rate to above 8% by the end of the year.

South Korea
The number of South Koreans with jobs declined by 0.1% in December from December 2007, its worst reading in more than five years.