Alibaba, the world's largest online platform for trade between businesses, would transform itself from a China-focused e-commerce provider into a global web marketplace, said by Jack Ma, its founder and chairman.



The global financial crisis is seen as the opportunity for encourage businesses to export to China, Ma said.

As part of its drive for geographical diversification, Alibaba is moving its European headquarters from Geneva to London this month, as it sees the UK as one of the most promising markets for picking up suppliers.

During global economic cataclysms of separate citizens, as usually, are interested with absolutely certain issues. One of the most topical: what will be with employment?

According to the ministry of labour and social protection of the population of Kazakhstan, enterprises of the republic cut about three thousand people by the end of 2008.

As it is specified, "this figure does not include citizens, who lost their working places because of the planned re-structuring of enterprises or according to other reasons." This explanation is like loophole, as it allows the government to show good figures, and on other hand it is rather vague on what other reasons people could be dismissed, and, namely these three thousands of people - employees of contractors' organizations are left jobless on Tengiz. Besides, many people were sent on vacations without payment.

As it is known, "unpleasant" figures are corrected slightly by our officials. Three thousand of people who suffered because of the crisis - is quite insignificant figure. At the same time the government form special group, which will prevent mass reduction of employees and stabilization measures on labour market.



This group is not just to analyze, but also is to forecast the situation with occupation of the population in the regions, and is participants are commissioned "to work out suggestions on allocation of free labour resources to other enterprises, including short term preparation and re-training of released employees of production process, providing with additional measures of social protection (allowances on losing job, address social assistance, housing support, children allowances)."

Not far away word 'unemployment' associated with capitalist West. At the moment it came not just in our lexicon, but in the life itself. For instance, there is professional discrimination on sex principle. According to Almaty city labour registry office, by the end of July of last year the vacations bank consisted of 900 working places, for one free position there were 3-4unemployed. Women dominated - 68 per cent.

A big importance is given to age of candidates, depending on sex. An employer says that it needs men up to 40 years, whereas women's age should not exceed 35. Why there is this limitation, who knows why at 41 a person cease to be professional. The level of payment also differs depending on whether it is man or woman, who in fact fulfill one and the same work. In average for one dollar earned by men there is 70 cents of earnings by women. And requirements for women are much more.

Thus, for women: age is up to 35, work experience in the sphere is not less than 5 years, higher education, attractive appearance, foreign language knowledge and computer programs, energy, communication, children free. For men the list of requirements is much less: higher education desirable, work experience is not obligatory, computer knowledge, automobile is a plus.

Crisis enforced competitiveness on labour market. According to employers of recruiutment agencies, for the last months the inflow of resumes has increased lately significantly. If a year ago they have 100 resumes a day, at the moment there are - 250-300. And there are much les vacancies. In search for job there are journalists and advertising agents, financiers and lawyers, managers and administrators. The next professions are wanted today: waiters, cooks, maids, security men, drivers of trams and trolleybuses.

More than other fields construction sphere was badly damaged by crisis: if before construction companies attracted workers of various professions with high salaries and with bonuses, at the moment there are no such ads with the word 'wanted urgently!' According to experts, out of 100 thousand of occupied in the construction field of Almaty more than a half of them was dismissed.

Small and medium business, for which not less than a half of the citizens of the republic rely on, encountered difficult times, the consequences of which will be revealed in the nearest months as a new rise of unemployment. For instance, in Almaty, about 80 per cent of small and medium enterprises have in their companies less than 6 people, 7 per cent - less than 10 people. Namely, such micro-companies were influenced by the sharpened competitiveness. 77 per cent of all Ltd and more than half of entrepreneurs had big losses last year.

It is proved that even losing job temporarily affects physiological condition of an individual. And it is difficult to say how many people will be jobless this year. However, domestic government ensures that: unemployment level in 2009-2010 will not exceed 8 per cent.