Human Times

North American Edition

8th May 2026

THE HOT STORY

Cloudflare to lay off more than 1,000 workers

California tech company Cloudflare is laying off 20% of its workforce, equating to approximately 1,100 employees, as it adapts to a significant increase in artificial intelligence usage among staff. “The way we work at Cloudflare has fundamentally changed,” Chief Executive Matthew Prince and Chief Operating Officer Michelle Zatlyn told employees in an e-mail. “We don't just build and sell AI tools and platforms. We are our own most demanding customer.” The email said that in the last three months, its use of AI has increased more than 600%. Employees in various roles in HR, engineering, finance and marketing are running “thousands of AI agent sessions each day to get their work done,” and the company has to be “intentional” as it prepares for the “agentic AI era,” the email said.

Los Angeles Times

WORKFORCE

Productivity growth slows as hours worked rebound in first quarter

U.S. labor productivity continued to increase in the first quarter of 2026, though growth slowed as hours worked rebounded, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonfarm productivity, which measures output per hour worked, rose at an annualized rate of 0.8% after a revised 1.6% increase in the fourth quarter of 2025. On a year-over-year basis, productivity climbed 2.9%, marking the strongest annual gain since 2024. The slowdown partly reflected a 0.7% increase in hours worked during the quarter after a decline in the prior period. Unit labor costs, a key measure of what businesses pay workers to produce one unit of output, increased 2.3%. The data suggests companies are continuing to improve efficiency through investments in technology and artificial intelligence, helping offset rising operating costs linked to tariffs and the Iran conflict while reducing inflationary wage pressures. Hourly compensation rose at an annualized 3.1% pace before inflation adjustments, though real worker compensation declined at the start of the year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said workers’ share of output fell to 54.1%, the lowest level recorded since the series began in 1947.

Bloomberg

Reuters

Initial jobless claims rise modestly but layoffs remain historically low

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits increased last week, but layoffs continue to remain near historically low levels despite inflation pressures and broader economic uncertainty. The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000 in the seven days to May 2nd, slightly below economists’ expectations of 205,000 claims. The previous week’s figure, which had marked the lowest level since 1969, was revised up to 190,000. The four-week moving average of claims fell to 203,250, while continuing claims, reported with a one-week lag, declined by 10,000 to 1.77m. The government’s monthly jobs report for April is due to be published later today.

Doctor placements at risk in underserved areas

Hundreds of foreign doctors nearing the end of their training in the U.S. face the risk of having to leave the country due to delays in the processing of their visa waiver applications. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the waiver program, which allows non-citizen physicians to remain in the U.S. while they work in underserved areas for three years. “It will be the patients that suffer the most because in about three months, there's going to be hundreds of places that are not going to have a physician that should have,” said a psychiatrist affected by the delays. The American Medical Association has urged HHS to expedite the processing of these applications to prevent further disruption in healthcare services.

U.S. News

HIRING

Employers increasingly favor temporary staff over permanent hires

Companies in the U.S. and Europe are increasingly relying on temporary workers amid economic instability and artificial intelligence-driven disruptions, with staffing firms reporting that clients are turning to contractors as employers evaluate how AI will affect their labor needs. “When clients will have more confidence and talent to start changing jobs or organizing work with more permanent jobs, we don’t know,” observed Amsterdam-based Randstad’s Chief Financial Officer Jorge Vazquez on the company’s latest earnings call.

Chicago Tribune

REMUNERATION

Citigroup sets new rewards structure for banking and wealth referrals

Citigroup is overhauling how it compensates corporate and investment bankers and wealth advisers for referring business to colleagues, paying rewards directly to employees, rather than sharing between the bank’s divisions.

Financial Times

ECONOMY

U.S. consumer borrowing posts biggest monthly rise since 2022

U.S. consumer borrowing increased by $24.9bn in March, marking the largest monthly rise since late 2022, according to Federal Reserve data, as households relied more heavily on loans and credit cards amid mounting pressure from higher fuel costs and persistent inflation. Non-revolving credit, including auto and student loans, rose by $14.8bn, the strongest increase since mid-2023, while revolving credit such as credit-card debt climbed $10bn, the largest gain since 2024. The increase significantly exceeded economists’ expectations and followed a revised $8.8bn rise in February. The sharp rise in borrowing comes as household finances are increasingly strained by elevated energy prices linked to the Iran war. U.S. petrol prices moved above $4 per gallon in late March, hitting their highest level since 2022.

Bloomberg

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Cruise outbreak prompts U.S. monitoring

U.S. officials are monitoring American travelers after a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship killed three people, including a Dutch couple and a German national. The World Health Organization said eight others are suspected of contracting the virus. The CDC said the State Department is leading “a coordinated, whole-of-government response” involving passenger contact and coordination with health authorities. Georgia and Arizona health officials said they are monitoring returning residents who remain healthy and asymptomatic. The CDC said the risk to the American public is extremely low.

New York Times

Reuters

LEGAL

Clarence Thomas is the second-longest-serving justice in Supreme Court history

Justice Clarence Thomas surpassed Justice John Paul Stevens yesterday to become the second-longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Nominated by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, Thomas has played a role in landmark rulings on issues such as abortion, voting rights, and Second Amendment rights.

The Baltimore Sun

Law

INTERNATIONAL

Australia's 'systemic' exploitation of workers on temporary visas

The Migrant Justice Institute's Off the Books report reveals that temporary migrant workers in Australia are underpaid by $61m weekly. The survey of 8,370 workers found that two-thirds received less than their entitled wages under the Fair Work Act. “These are not isolated cases of bad employers. This is a system that produces vulnerability at scale, and enables willing employers to exploit it,” Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans said. “Piecemeal Band-Aid measures will not change an entrenched culture of exploitation . . . Increased enforcement will help individuals, but it will not change the system.” Evans said the system required a “reset,” adding “The vulnerabilities that allow exploitation to flourish must be extinguished to allow fair treatment for migrant workers.”

West Australian

BioNTech shuts down COVID vaccine production

BioNTech, the German company that is best known for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, is ceasing production of the vaccine and transferring responsibilities to Pfizer. The company is restructuring to concentrate on cancer research, citing a significant drop in demand for COVID vaccines. BioNTech plans to close several production sites, affecting up to 1,860 jobs. The closures are expected to be completed by the end of 2027. BioNTech's revenues fell to €118.1m in Q1 2023, with net losses rising to €531.9m, largely due to research investments. "In the course of this year we will produce the last doses here in Germany," a spokeswoman said.

Deutsche Welle (EN)

Guatemala’s President replaces AG following protracted struggle

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has appointed Gabriel Estuardo García Luna as the country's new attorney general and head of the prosecutor's office, putting an end to a years-long struggle with former top prosecutor Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by 40 countries for obstructing anti-corruption efforts. Porras' office had repeatedly sought to block Arévalo's appointment. “The Public Ministry is getting a new authority who does not come to serve a president, the government of the day, or particular or spurious political interests,” Arévalo said.

U.S. News

GCC workforce expands by 9.4m

The total workforce across GCC member states grew by approximately 9.4m individuals between 2021 and 2025, according to data from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Statistical Centre. Total employment figures increased 34.1%, from 27.7m in 2021 to 37.1m in 2025. The expansion was driven by the expatriate workforce, which experienced an average annual growth rate of 9.1% during the period; 4.4% annual growth was recorded for national citizens. Male expatriate workers accounted for 66.5% of the total workforce in 2025.

Zawya EN

OTHER

Raw milk debate grows in the U.S. as supporters push wider access

Proponents of raw milk are advocating for its increased availability despite health risks, as evidenced by legislative efforts in 18 states supporting its sale and consumption. Health officials warn that unpasteurized milk can cause severe illnesses, with recent outbreaks linked to E. coli and other harmful bacteria. Advocates argue for consumer choice, citing comparisons to legalized substances like alcohol. However, public health experts stress the importance of pasteurization, which significantly reduces foodborne illness occurrences. While some suggest regulating raw milk similarly to pasteurized products, critics remain concerned about the potential for more outbreaks as access expands.

Los Angeles Times

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