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Human Times helps you stay ahead of the latest news and trends that impact the HR industry. Every weekday, our unique blend of AI and team of expert HR and employment editors and researchers monitor 100,000s of articles, and social posts to create summaries of the most relevant and useful content to help you lead, innovate and grow. The award winning Human Times newsletter has four geographical editions with news tailored to your region.

From HR leadership to diversity and inclusion, hybrid working, organisational data, performance management, and retention strategies, Human Times is the only trusted free online news source dedicated to covering the most up to date headlines, articles, reports and interviews to make sure you’re abreast of changes in the HR industry.

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Recent Editions
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Human Times
North America
Sonderling aims for Labor Secretary role

During a Senate confirmation hearing, Keith Sonderling, President Donald Trump's nominee for Labor Secretary, emphasized his extensive experience in labor law. He has served as acting secretary since April, following Lori Chavez-DeRemer's departure. "Few people have had the opportunity to experience the department from so many perspectives," Sonderling said. Despite his qualifications, he faced criticism from Democratic senators, particularly Patty Murray, who expressed concerns over the rescinding of a Biden-era overtime pay rule that could have benefited 4m workers. Murray warned that confirming Sonderling might lead to further erosion of worker protections. Sonderling also addressed concerns about the management of Department of Education grants and the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, stating: "What we believe we're going to see is that AI-impacted jobs can potentially make you more productive." He is expected to be confirmed despite the contentious hearing.

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Human Times
UK
Financial firms tighten employee scrutiny

UK financial firms are sharpening their scrutiny of employee conduct ahead of new rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that are set to take effect on September 1. The changes, which will amend conduct rules and fitness-for-office tests to add serious, work-related bullying, harassment and violence against colleagues, clarify how firms should take non-financial misconduct into account when assessing employees' fitness and propriety. The new regime puts the onus on managers, rather ​than human resources departments, to identify, investigate and report potentially serious cases. Lawyers report that some companies are dismissing staff suspected of misconduct before the rules increase accountability. Wendy Saunders, a partner at law firm Lewis Silkin, ​says she has seen two or three instances where firms appeared to "dress up a minor conduct issue as non-financial misconduct" to dismiss an underperformer.

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Human Times
Europe
UK financial firms tighten employee scrutiny

UK financial firms are sharpening their scrutiny of employee conduct ahead of new rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that are set to take effect on September 1. The changes, which will amend conduct rules and fitness-for-office tests to add serious, work-related bullying, harassment and violence against colleagues, clarify how firms should take non-financial misconduct into account when assessing employees' fitness and propriety. The new regime puts the onus on managers, rather ​than human resources departments, to identify, investigate and report potentially serious cases. Lawyers report that some companies are dismissing staff suspected of misconduct before the rules increase accountability. Wendy Saunders, a partner at law firm Lewis Silkin, ​says she has seen two or three instances where firms appeared to "dress up a minor conduct issue as non-financial misconduct" to dismiss an underperformer.

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Human Times
Middle East
AI skills surge in Gulf job market

AI requirements appeared in 3.4% of professional Gulf vacancies during the first half of 2026, nearly triple the 1.2% recorded in 2022, according to GulfTalent’s analysis of 118,000 jobs across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Adoption remains highly concentrated: nearly one-third of technology vacancies mention AI, compared with around one in 15 banking and audit roles. Most other industries remain at one in 30 vacancies or fewer. AI involvement also increases with seniority, reaching roughly one in 12 leadership roles. Among AI-connected vacancies, about one-third require employees to use AI, another third involve implementation, and one-quarter focus on selling AI services. Fewer than 10% involve building models. GulfTalent said AI capability is becoming a “competitive necessity” in technology, while most sectors remain early in their transition.

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