THE HOT STORY

Swiss voters reject 10m population cap

Voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to limit the country's population to 10m. Results showed nearly 55% of participants voted against and 45% voted for. The turnout was 60% of the population. Championed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the proposal stipulated that the population must not exceed 10m before 2050, and that if it did so for two years, Switzerland should end freedom of movement with the EU. The vote was opposed by the government, Swiss businesses, and all the other major parties. “With today’s decision, the electorate has sent out a signal of stability, openness, and reliability,” Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans told a press conference alongside Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Bloomberg

CNN

BBC News

LEGAL

Companies in Luxembourg face fines over right to disconnect rules

Starting next month, companies in Luxembourg must comply with the right to disconnect law or face fines of between €251 and €25,000. The law, adopted in 2023, requires firms to establish frameworks allowing employees to disconnect from work outside of hours. The Labour and Mines Inspectorate (ITM), Luxembourg's workplace health and safety authority, will enforce compliance, focusing on company policies rather than individual cases, and will initially seek compliance before imposing fines. “The offence being penalised [ . . . ] does not consist of an isolated failure by an employee or a line manager to respect the right to disconnect, but rather the failure to implement the specific policy required,” a spokesperson for the ITM explained.

Luxembourg Times

UK minister defends workers’ rights overhaul

UK employment minister Kate Dearden has defended Labour’s workers’ rights reforms, arguing they bring the UK into line with other major economies and provide greater security for employees. Business groups have warned that measures including enhanced sick pay, stronger dismissal protections and restrictions on zero-hours contracts could increase costs and deter hiring. Dearden said the changes would help tackle insecure work and improve financial stability for workers. Ministers are consulting on proposals to guarantee more predictable hours, while maintaining that stronger workplace protections can support both economic growth and workforce wellbeing. Deardon said: "After lagging behind, we're now in a place where we're matching rights in other countries and providing those opportunities for our own workforce."

The Guardian

WORKFORCE

High energy prices 'could cut 75,000 Dutch jobs by 2028'

The UWV (Employment Insurance Agency) in the Netherlands has said that the local job market could see a decline of up to 75,000 jobs over three years if high energy prices persist. Rob Witjes, head of labour market information at UWV, noted that global instability is making companies more cautious. While some sectors like healthcare and specialised business services may continue to grow, industries such as transport and hospitality are expected to suffer. “More people could move toward these sectors because other sectors are growing less strongly,” Witjes observed.

NL Times

HEALTH & WELLBEING

More working are embracing ‘microshifting’

More workers are embracing “microshifting,” or managing their time in short, productive bursts, with intentional breaks for family time or personal replenishment to prioritise work-life balance. Anita Williams Woolley, associate dean of research and professor of organisational behaviour at Carnegie Mellon University, says microshifting is more likely to be prevalent in sectors where flexible work arrangements are already common, such as IT, financial services and professional and technical services, and less so among those who work at restaurants or retailers. “Accommodating the changing needs and preferences of employees in a high-turnover industry is a complex optimisation problem that has been challenging, even for sophisticated software to solve,” Williams Woolley says.

Wall Street Journal

TECHNOLOGY

Bosch pivots to humanoid robotics

German auto supplier Bosch has announced a strategic shift towards humanoid robotics amid challenges in its traditional business caused by fierce overseas competition and weak demand. The company is a key producer of the tiny sensors which are crucial in robotics. These sensors determine whether a robot "should tighten its grip or not, whether it is dealing with a sturdy object, or whether it needs to act delicately because it is an egg," explained Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung, who added: "Humans have four million touch sensors. If we were to build robots equipped with as many sensors, four years of global sensor production would barely be enough to equip 12,500 robots." Hartung forecast: "With the advent of humanoid robotics, the demand for Bosch components and solutions is increasing."

France 24

KPMG report contained AI hallucinations

An investigation has found serious flaws in a KPMG report on agentic AI. The study examined 45 citations in the firm's Total Experience: Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI report and concluded that only five accurately referenced genuine sources. Most citation titles were fabricated, distorted or incorrectly attributed through what KPMG has called "vibe citing" – the tendency of AI systems to generate plausible but inaccurate references. It was also found that around half of the report’s factual claims were false, unsupported or misattributed. KPMG said it takes the accuracy and integrity of its content seriously and expects human oversight when AI tools are used.

Financial Times

City AM

STRATEGY

AI giants flock to London

CNBC reports on how major AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have in the last year announced significant expansions in London, driven by the need for top technical and commercial talent. “It's all about talent,” Mike Wiseman, head of campuses at British Land, says. “London has built a deep and mature technology ecosystem over many years, and if you're looking to scale a business internationally, it's one of the few markets globally that can support that level of growth.” Meanwhile, Frederic Groussolles, partner at executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, observes that “A decade of investment anchored by DeepMind, major research labs and leading universities has created a mature talent base spanning AI research, engineering and commercial leadership.” London is also one of the world's foremost financial centres, Groussolles adds, allowing companies “ready access to venture, growth equity and corporate development networks.”

CNBC

Honeywell CEO says AI will ‘redefine automation' amid labour shortages

Honeywell CEO Vimal Kapur has said that AI is set to “redefine automation” by transforming operational data into actionable insights. He observed that labour shortages and aging populations are increasing the demand for automation. “Net workforce is not going to be increasing. It's going to be decreasing over a period of time,” Kapur said. His comments come as Honeywell prepares to spin off its aerospace business on June 29; the company is seeking to focus solely on its automation sector. “We are taking the opportunity to build a pure play automation company across multiple sectors, and opportunity is more compelling now, with AI coming in,” Kapur said.

CNBC

INTERNATIONAL

Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee blocked by judge

A federal judge has vacated President Donald Trump’s policy imposing a $100,000 fee for employers’ H-1B visa applications. Judge Leo Sorokin said the policy violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution. He found that the payment is a tax that Congress had not delegated to the executive branch. “Every day, thousands of people with H-1B visas serve New Yorkers as doctors, teachers, and other skilled workers,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose state was one of 20 that sued to block the fee. “Today a court put an end to this administration’s illegal attempt to destroy this critical program and the many jobs it makes possible,” James said. The Trump administration said it would appeal the ruling.

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