Human Times

European Edition

26th January 2026

THE HOT STORY

Companies 'must invest in redesign and training to gain from AI'

EY global vice chair Julie Teigland has told Reuters that firms are learning that artificial intelligence is not plug-and-play, and ROI requires organisational redesign and training, not just the deployment of tools. She cited work by EY indicating that intensive training can be linked to productivity improvements, observing that around 81 hours of training per employee could translate into roughly 14% weekly productivity gains, in concert with role redesign. AI's labour impact will be "multi-generational," changing entry-level positions and routine white-collar tasks, Teigland said, with employees needing to shift from "doing the task to supervising the task," and becoming "above the loop."

Reuters

STRATEGY

Amazon to cut thousands more corporate jobs in second wave of layoffs

Amazon is reportedly preparing to cut thousands of additional corporate jobs this week, targeting roles in Web Services, retail, Prime Video, and HR, as part of a plan to reduce its white-collar workforce by 30,000 - roughly 10% of its corporate staff. Following 14,000 job cuts in October, this second round could begin as soon as Tuesday. Chief executive Andy Jassy has attributed the layoffs to cultural inefficiencies rather than financial or AI-related pressures, despite Amazon's increased use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations. The move marks the largest corporate layoff in the company’s history.

Bloomberg

Reuters

The Seattle Times

WORKFORCE

UK water regulator will pay employees to stay

UK water regulator Ofwat plans to offer extra money to some staff, including engineers and data experts, as it struggles to fill roles after its workforce shrank by a fifth, partly as a result of government plans to abolish it and establish a new watchdog. The new regulator will take two years to set up, and in the meantime Ofwat must have a workforce that is sufficient to manage projects as well as the transition, Chief Executive Officer Chris Walters told lawmakers in parliament.

Bloomberg

Luxembourg study challenges assumptions about generational attitudes

Dr Adam Petersen of the Luxembourg Business School has released a study that challenges common stereotypes about Generation Z in the workplace. He observes that many public discussions lack data to support claims about younger workers being less committed or more values-driven. Petersen emphasised that generational differences often stem from career stages rather than age. He advised leaders to focus on commonalities with younger employees to foster better workplace harmony.

Luxembourg Times

CORPORATE

Revo Hospitality files for insolvency

Revo Hospitality Group, Europe's largest white label hotel operator, has filed for insolvency under self-administration. Founded in 2008, the group manages over 260 hotels across 12 countries. Despite the insolvency, 125 hotels in Germany and Austria will continue operations, employing 5,500 staff. The restructuring is prompted by rising costs and integration issues following rapid expansion. The group reported €1.3bn in annual revenue but faced missed targets due to high acquisition costs and lower-than-expected occupancy.

Daily Express

The Independent

TAX

French supertax on wealthy raises only a quarter of planned revenue

France's "differential contribution" tax on high earners raised just €400m in 2025, far below the €1.9bn expected. The tax is forecast to raise €650m this year, €1bn less than budgeted.

Financial Times

LEADERSHIP

Barry Callebaut announces new leadership

Barry Callebaut has announced the appointment of Hein Schumacher as its new chief executive. The cocoa processor said that the former Unilever CEO will succeed Peter Feld, who will step down on January 26th "to pursue other career opportunities". News of the appointment came alongside the announcement that the firm's first-quarter sales rose 8.9% in constant currencies to SFr3.67bn ($4.65bn). Overalll sales volumes declined 9.9% to 509,401 tonnes.

Financial Times

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

RISK

Nordea services hit by 'unexpected technical fault'

Nordea, one of Finland's largest banking groups, on Sunday faced significant service disruptions due to an "unexpected technical fault" during scheduled maintenance. Originally expected to conclude by 9am, the issues persisted into the afternoon. While Nordea said the problem was "localised," it did not provide a timeline for full service restoration. The Downdetector service reported a spike in outage reports, and the bank warned of limited functionality, with occasional interruptions in card payments. Nordea apologised for the inconvenience caused to its customers.

YLE Uutiset

INTERNATIONAL

AI firm sued over 'secret' job scoring

Eightfold, an artificial intelligence ‌hiring platform used by Microsoft, PayPal and many ‌other Fortune 500 companies, is being sued for allegedly scoring job candidates without their knowledge. The lawsuit filed in California was brought by job seekers Erin Kistler and Sruti Bhaumik, who claim Eightfold compiles detailed talent profiles, including personality descriptions and “fit scores” that function as consumer reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

U.S. News & World Report

Business Today (India)

Hyundai's union opposes humanoid robot plans, citing job concerns

Hyundai Motor's labour union has issued a warning about the company's plan to deploy humanoid robots by 2028, saying such actions may lead to "employment shocks" and threaten job security for workers. In an internal letter, the union insisted that no robots should be introduced without a labour-management agreement, reflecting their concerns that automation could be used to cut costs at the expense of the workforce. While Hyundai's shares have risen following news of the robot initiative, the union maintains that the push for automation could harm the jobs of employees in South Korea, particularly as the company expands its production facilities in the US.

Reuters

Ikea to double India investment to over $2.2bn

Ikea plans to more than double its investment in India to over ₹200bn ($2.2bn) over the next five years as it ramps up store openings and local sourcing. The Swedish furniture giant, which currently operates six stores in India, aims to increase that number to 30 and expand online services to cities without physical stores, including Chennai and Coimbatore. Chief executive Patrik Antoni said India is expected to become one of Ikea’s top global markets. Online sales, which already make up over 30% of total India revenue, are targeted to grow to 40%.

Reuters

OTHER

US officially leaves World Health Organization

The US has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO). All US funding to the WHO has been terminated and US participation in WHO-sponsored leadership bodies and working groups has ended. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it took the decision due to the WHO's alleged "mishandling" of the pandemic, an inability to reform, and political influence from member states. The US leaves behind unpaid debt of roughly $260m. There’s no requirement in statute to settle the debt before exiting the agency, a senior HHS official said. “It’s a very messy divorce,” observed Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO collaborating centre on national and global health law at Georgetown University.

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