Human Times

UK Edition

23rd February 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Policymakers should encourage 'creative destruction' of low productivity firms

The weakest UK firms now produce less per worker than they did 30 years ago after adjusting for inflation, according to analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) which says policymakers should encourage "creative destruction" of companies that are barely surviving and help workers to move to higher-growth areas. The UK's industrial strategy should be focused on successful areas, and have "hard edges and be relentlessly focused, rather than trying to lift growth for all sectors," the analysis says. Raoul Ruparel, chief UK economist at BCG, said more companies with low productivity were “dragging down overall productivity growth and absolute levels of productivity.”

Financial Times

Reuters

HR TECH EUROPE 2026 AGENDA IS LIVE

The HR Tech Europe 2026 agenda is officially live!

Bringing together voices shaping the future of work, expect insights from CHROs and industry leading speakers from brands like Amazon.com, Disruptive HR, Marriott International, Pandora, Samskip, SoundCloud, Josh Bersin and more. Read on for a taste of what’s taking shape on stage this 22–23 April at RAI Amsterdam.

Explore the Agenda

TECHNOLOGY

UK is well set for AI benefits

Roger Bootle, a senior adviser at Capital Economics, argues that while AI will lead to some job losses, it will not render humans redundant. He emphasises the importance of human judgement in many sectors, saying: " There is at least one thing that AI will never be better at than humans, namely being human." Capital Economics compiles an AI Economic Impact Index, which ranks economies on their ability to realise long-term benefits from AI. The UK ranks third, with Bootle noting its "strong existing digital infrastructure, high levels of STEM education, a relatively liberal approach to regulation and a relatively flexible labour market."

The Daily Telegraph

Bafta to reward ‘human creativity’ as film and TV grapples with AI

Bafta has brought in “human achievement” as a guiding principle for its annual awards as the film and television industry grapples with the rapid adoption of AI tools in production.

Financial Times

WORKPLACE

Capturing the nine-to-five: why ‘WorkTok’ films are gripping Gen Z

Corporate “day in the life” clips, where employees film themselves going about their regular working days, are proving a fast-growing hit on TikTok and Instagram, particularly among Gen Z viewers.

Financial Times

HIRING

Job vacancies fall to five-year low

Job vacancies in Britain have fallen to their lowest level in five years, with Adzuna reporting just 694,940 roles advertised in January, down 16% year on year. Graduate vacancies dropped below 10,000 for the first time since 2016, while youth unemployment rose to 16.1%, the highest in over a decade. Rising national insurance costs, minimum wage increases, and the growing use of AI to automate tasks have prompted many employers to freeze hiring, particularly at entry-level positions. Competition for jobs has intensified, with 2.4 jobseekers per vacancy, reflecting a market close to pandemic-era lows. Some signs of stabilisation have emerged, however, with the Recruitment & Employment Confederation reporting a 3% rise in active postings in January, suggesting the decline in vacancies may be easing.

The Times

WORKFORCE

Major UK car service company winds down operations

Aston-headquartered ATS Euromaster, the UK affiliate of the Michelin-owned European tyre service provider Euromaster, is set to wind down its UK operations, putting over 700 jobs at risk amid significant financial losses. The company has already closed 86 unprofitable centres and is proposing to sell 35 locations to Formula One Autocentres and 14 to S&M Tyres, trading as Elite Garages. Under Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations, 216 employees may transfer to the new owners.

Birmingham Mail

LEGAL

Firms face stricter penalties over illegal migrant visas

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is considering stricter penalties for companies involved in fraudulent visa sponsorship. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats reveals a 400% rise in revoked sponsorship licences, from 323 in 2020 to 1,682 in early 2025. Labour has extended the ban on overseas recruitment for repeat offenders to two years, and Mahmood is considering a permanent ban for the worst offenders, similar to policies in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. A Home Office spokesman said: "We will not tolerate the abuse of our immigration system . . . We have already doubled the length of time employers who commit repeat offences are prevented from sponsoring workers . . . [and] We are actively reviewing whether existing powers need to be further strengthened."

The Sunday Telegraph

INTERNATIONAL

Corporate board diversity efforts fade as DEI policies retreat

Corporate America is scaling back diversity efforts on boards, with S&P 500 companies appointing women and minority directors at rates similar to a decade ago. Nearly 80% of new directors last year were white and about three-quarters were men, marking a sharp decline from diversity gains in 2021. Corporate policies supporting board diversity have also declined. Only about a quarter of S&P 500 companies maintained formal policies last year requiring consideration of gender and racial diversity when appointing directors, down from roughly half the year before. So far this year, that share has fallen to 14%. The retreat comes after legal setbacks, including court rulings striking down California’s board diversity mandates and Nasdaq’s disclosure rule on board diversity. Although overall board demographics remain somewhat more diverse than a decade ago, progress has slowed significantly. At the current pace, boards in the broader Russell 3000 index would not reach gender parity until 2044, according to projections.

Wall Street Journal

Alberta to hold referendum on new restrictions for immigrants

The Canadian province of Alberta is to hold a referendum on restricting immigration and reducing newcomers’ access to public services. “The fact is, Alberta taxpayers can no longer be asked to continue to subsidise the entire country through equalisation and federal transfers, permit the federal government to flood our borders with new arrivals and then give free access to our most-generous-in-the-country social programs to anyone who moves here,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a televised address aired on Thursday. She blamed what she called the “disastrous open-border immigration policies” of former prime minister Justin Trudeau for straining the province’s health care, education and social services programs.

CBC News

Glovo's Italian food delivery unit ordered to 'regularise' 40,000 workers

The Italian business of Spanish food delivery service Glovo, which is currently under court administration, has been ordered by a judge in Milan to "regularise" 40,000 delivery workers. Milan prosecutors earlier this month placed Glovo's Italian arm, Foodinho, under judicial supervision and its chief executive under investigation for alleged exploitation of workers. "It's important that the Milan prosecutors and the court have delivered a clear message: workers' rights are not an optional . . . you can't put people on the road without safeguards," said Giulia Druetta, a Turin-based lawyer who has represented the delivery workers. Glovo is controlled by Germany's Delivery Hero.

Reuters

Sex workers' earnings hit by World Cup preparations

Preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City are affecting the livelihoods of local sex workers and street vendors. Montserrat Fuentes, a sex worker for 20 years, is among those who say they have seen their earnings slashed amid government projects that are meant to clean up the city before the tournament starts this summer. “What we're seeing in Mexico is something that so much of the world has faced when there's an event of this scale. They always want to fix up their city, make it look nice,” Fuentes said. “But the ones that are hurt are always us at the bottom of the ladder.”

U.S. News

OTHER

US plans online portal to bypass content bans

Reuters reports that the US State Department is planning an online portal be hosted at "freedom.gov" that will allow people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda. Officials are said to have discussed including a virtual private network function to make a user's traffic appear to originate in the US. “Digital freedom is a priority for the State Department . . . and that includes the proliferation of privacy and censorship-circumvention technologies like VPNs," the department told Reuters.

Reuters

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