Human Times

UK Edition

17th August 2026

THE HOT STORY

UK employers stuck in 'low-hire, low-fire' mode

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to partly reverse Rachel Reeves's £25bn payroll tax increase to ease the cost burden on businesses so they can push ahead with hiring plans. British employers remain reluctant to hire and confidence has stayed near its weakest levels since the pandemic, according to ‌a poll from the HR lobby group. James Cockett, the CIPD's senior labour market economist said: "Our data suggests that the UK labour market has largely stopped moving. Hiring has weakened, but redundancy levels haven't risen, leaving us in a 'low-hire, low-fire' environment that's increasingly looking like a 'new normal'." Cockett advised: "To help get the jobs market moving again the government should consider reversing the reduction in the employer [national insurance] threshold which has made it harder for businesses to create the entry-level jobs young people need. It should also pause the further equalisation of the youth and adult national minimum wage rates."

Reuters

The Times

WORKFORCE

Reform UK plans overhaul of sickness benefits

Reform UK Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick has announced plans for the party to cut £50bn of welfare spending through the abolition of the personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults, with a new health security allowance offered only to the "gravely ill and severely challenged." Jenrick said employers would also be required to pay for "return to work cover" insurance for two years after workers are signed off sick, giving them a "strong economic incentive" to bring workers back. He said the party "will not pretend this is painless," but that "dumping our young people onto welfare isn't compassion; it's neglect." A spokesperson for Labour said the proposal "is fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people and shifting costs onto employers."

The Sunday Telegraph

BBC News

The Sun

University of Sussex staff back strike action

The University and College Union (UCU) has announced that members at the University of Sussex have voted to back strike action over plans to cut a further 200 jobs as part of wider cost-cutting plans. A total of 528 staff have already left the university through two voluntary redundancy schemes, and vice-chancellor Sasha Roseneil has attributed the cuts - aimed at saving £35m a year - on the "long-term underfunding of teaching and research, ongoing inflationary pressures and a steep fall in international students driven by government policy changes." Despite having "significantly reduced expenditure through non-pay savings, vacancy management and cutting our capital programme" Roseneil said "we still need to make further savings to ensure our long‑term financial sustainability."

BBC News

Prospective students target 'AI-proof' subjects

Figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that the number of university applications for medicine, dentistry, law and engineering has significantly outpaced the overall growth in applications. The total number of applications across all courses has risen by 15% since 2019, UCAS figures show, set against increases of 38% for applications for medicine and dentistry, 49% for law, and 56% for engineering. UCAS chief executive Jo Saxton says the increase is "really notable compared to a decline in subjects such as modern foreign languages," and says students "are making choices where they think that there will be a profession at the end of it, and which they perceive as likely to be AI-proof."

Sunday Times

LEGAL

Co-op revises transgender toilet policy after equality guidance

The Co-operative Group has revised its transgender inclusion policy following new Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on single-sex spaces. Employees are no longer told to use gender-specific toilets in which they "feel safest." Instead, Co-op says it will provide gender-neutral, individually lockable facilities wherever possible to support privacy and comfort. The changes follow last year’s Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of sex under equality law is based on biological sex. Co-op said the updated policy followed legal advice and consultation with employee networks.

Sunday Times

Met Police apologises for Al Fayed email blunder

The Metropolitan Police has apologised for accidentally disclosing the email addresses of approximately 140 women who reported sexual abuse by the late Mohamed Al Fayed. The force confirmed that a human error occurred when sending a monthly update, revealing recipients' addresses instead of using blind copy. The incident has been referred to the Information Commissioner's Office, which is already investigating previous data breaches involving the police.

BBC News

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

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Activist Cevian calls for higher pay for UK board members

Activist investor Cevian Capital has urged higher pay for non-executive directors in boardrooms as part of efforts to revive growth at British companies and reverse the decline of the London market.

Financial Times

INTERNATIONAL

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

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

Pakistan date harvesters work through gruelling heat

In Pakistan's Sindh province, date harvesters face increasingly unbearable heat. Temperatures often exceed 42°C, forcing workers to start before dawn and take breaks to avoid heat-related illnesses. Pakistan, a major date producer, is grappling with the impacts of climate change, including erratic weather patterns that threaten crop yields and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and seasonal labourers. Multiple workers have told Associated Press they often suffer heatstroke, fainting and fever. "It used to be less intense," Muhammad Idrees, a date harvester, said. Now "the heat is much harsher and the days are extremely hot. We fall ill because of it."

France 24

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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