THE HOT STORY

Job seekers are adding AI terms and skills to their résumés

Job seekers are giving their work history an AI makeover, adding new skills to their résumés and obtaining certifications to demonstrate their aptitude in the technology in hopes of gaining the attention of employers. The share of LinkedIn users in the US who added AI-related terms to their profiles rose 70% last year, according to LinkedIn data. Employers, meanwhile, are doing likewise. Among all titles employers are hiring for on the jobs site Indeed in the US, 8% mentioned AI in the first quarter of 2026, up from 3% in 2022.

Wall Street Journal

WORKFORCE

Seventy per cent Saudization mandated for project management professions

Saudi Arabia will enforce a 70% localisation requirement in project management roles within the private sector starting February 14, 2027. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced the initiative to enhance Saudization and boost national talent participation in the workforce. The decision applies to private establishments with three or more employees in specified project management roles, including project management director and engineer. A procedural guide detailing compliance and implementation has been published to assist employers. The initiative aligns with the Labour Market Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to strengthen national competencies.

Saudi Gazette

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Workers across Dubai get free health screenings as temperatures soar

Over 8,000 workers in Dubai received free health screenings as part of the Summer Without Risks campaign, which began on June 16. The initiative aimed to reduce health risks from high temperatures and sun exposure. A total of 8,350 screenings were conducted by 28 healthcare professionals in areas with high worker populations. Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor said: "Worker safety begins with awareness and is strengthened by ensuring that preventive healthcare reaches workers where they are." The campaign also included awareness sessions on heat stress and preventive measures to protect workers' health.

Khaleej Times Online

TECHNOLOGY

EY launches new unit to control AI costs and measure returns

EY is creating an AI value realisation office and hiring a head of “agent economics” to oversee its growing AI-powered workforce, control technology costs, and assess whether its investments are generating tangible business benefits. The move comes as companies face increasing pressure to demonstrate returns from AI spending, particularly as technology providers shift toward usage-based pricing models that can result in rapidly escalating costs. EY has already introduced AI token budgets for employees in areas with heavy AI usage, such as software development, requiring additional approval when allocated limits are exceeded. It has also developed AI routers that direct employees to the most appropriate model for each task, helping avoid unnecessary use of more expensive, advanced models. The new unit will provide EY’s leadership with greater visibility into AI spending and performance across different business functions, rather than leaving oversight to individual technology, finance, or human resources teams.

Bloomberg

First tool to measure AI understanding of Arab culture

Researchers at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) have created the first benchmark to assess AI's understanding of 13 Arabic dialects. The study underscores a significant gap in AI's ability to engage with everyday Arabic, as most models are trained on Modern Standard Arabic. Professor Fajri Koto, Assistant Professor of Natural Language Processing at MBZUAI, said: “We gave the models three tasks: pick the culturally appropriate reply from a set of options; translate between Modern Standard Arabic and a specific dialect; and continue a conversation in a named dialect on request. The strongest models did well at recognising the culturally appropriate answer, scoring in the mid-90s, even when the conversation shifted from MSA to dialect. But when we asked them to produce dialect, for example to translate a line into Emirati, or to continue a conversation in that dialect, performance dropped sharply.”

Emirates24

Gulfnews.com

CORPORATE

Silver Lake in talks to buy Workday, sources say

Reuters reports that private equity firm Silver ‌Lake is in ongoing talks to acquire human resources and financial management software company Workday in a deal that would be among the largest software buyouts in history. Workday shares had fallen about 15% this year, as investors questioned the durability of traditional software amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Russia is losing its Central Asian labour force

Russia is experiencing a labour shortage after migrant worker entries from Central Asia dropped by 15% in the first half of 2026. This decline, attributed to stricter migration policies and rising costs, has disrupted essential services. Alexander Safonov of the Financial University notes that bureaucratic hurdles deter workers, and meanwhile the Kremlin's focus on security has intensified scrutiny of migrants, leading to fears of military conscription. Central Asian countries are also diversifying their labour markets, as countries including Uzbekistan promote safer job opportunities abroad. "The trust Moscow has lost could translate into gains for other capitals," experts say.

Daily Sabah

Hong Kong professionals use AI at double the global average

A survey from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has found that over 70% of Hong Kong professionals use AI tools weekly, significantly higher than the global average. However, junior employees expressed heightened anxiety about job security, with 40% saying they felt less secure due to AI's rise. While 70% of senior managers reported increased motivation to learn new skills, many juniors worry that AI may devalue their existing skills. Professor Tam Kar-Yan, HKUST's vice-president for administration and business, said Hong Kong's workplaces had entered “a new phase of AI adoption” in which the tool was becoming part of daily work rather than an emerging technology. “Successfully advancing Hong Kong's ‘AI+' agenda will depend not only on accelerating technology adoption, but also on ensuring that no segment of the workforce is left behind,” Tam said.

South China Morning Post

Nurses in UK report ‘inhumane’ heat

The UK's Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said nurses are collapsing at work due to extreme heat in buildings that are unfit for record temperatures. The RCN said its members have reported temperatures in excess of 30C in UK hospital wards and care homes, where there is often no access to air conditioning, fans or even to windows that open. Hospitals and social care buildings are “utterly unprepared for extreme temperatures,” Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said. “It’s becoming an impossible and inhumane place to work or receive care.” Yvette Cooper, the UK’s health and social care secretary, has said the NHS needs to make sure buildings are more resilient in extreme heat conditions.

Bloomberg

Uber invests in Latin American motorcycle lender to finance gig workers

Uber is to invest in Santiago-based Galgo, a lender focused on motorcycle purchases, as the ride-hailing firm seeks to ‌expand access to vehicles for drivers and couriers. Galgo said the plan is to offer financing products tailored to Uber drivers and delivery workers. In Latin America, motorcycles are widely ⁠used for low-cost transport and delivery work.

Reuters

OTHER

Last season of legal dog meat in Korea

A nationwide ban on the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs for ‌meat takes full effect in South Korea in February 2027. In a poll released just before the legislation passed in 2024, more than 90% of 2,000 respondents said they had no intention of eating dog meat in future, and more than 80% said they supported ⁠a ban. ⁠Nearly 95% said they had not ⁠eaten dog meat during the previous year. Restaurant owner Lee Kang-chun, who has spent 37 years in the trade at the Moran ‌Market in Seongnam, once one of Korea's best-known hubs for dog meat, lamented the ban. "When I see elderly people come all this way and leave because there's no dog meat left, it nearly brings me to tears," he said.

U.S. News

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