Human Times

UK Edition

1st June 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Former M&S boss to tackle youth unemployment crisis

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Marc Bolland, former CEO of Marks & Spencer, to address a youth unemployment crisis which is affecting over 1m young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The Milburn Review, led by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, estimates this issue costs Britain £125bn annually. Bolland will serve as the lead non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and will work with business leaders to create job opportunities for 16-24-year-olds. Meanwhile, analysis from Oxford University's Migration Observatory reveals that 31% of hospitality roles and 34% of admin positions in the UK are occupied by foreign nationals. This trend is particularly pronounced in London, where 64% of hospitality jobs are filled by migrants.

Daily Express

The Independent UK

HIGH-POTENTIAL TALENT

The way we identify potential is starting to shift

We’re hearing this more and more from organisations. Past performance just isn’t giving the full picture anymore when it comes to identifying future potential.

As AI changes how work looks and how careers develop, many HR teams are rethinking what high potential really means and what they should be looking for instead.

Join Talogy’s experts for High potential in the age of AI: What defines future capability now? - a practical session exploring how the definition of potential is evolving, the growing importance of emotional intelligence and transferable skills, and how organisations can take a more forward-looking approach to identifying and developing talent.

They’ll also discuss why identifying potential earlier is becoming more important for building stronger future talent pipelines.

Register for the webinar

WORKFORCE

Labour must reverse tax hikes to save young people

The UK faces a significant challenge with over a million young people classified as "Neets" - not in education, employment, or training. Commenting on the problem, Mark Reynolds, co-chair of the Construction Skills Mission Board, says in the Sunday Times that the construction industry loses the skills and potential of more than 50,000 young people each year because, once their training finishes, employers don’t have the confidence to invest the time needed to turn apprentices into productive, long-term employees. The Government should review increases to national insurance and other costs, which have increased the risk of putting someone on the payroll, Reynolds adds.

The Sunday Times

Salary sacrifice raid will leave millions poorer

Changes to salary sacrifice schemes will cap pension contributions at £2,000, impacting nearly 3m workers by 2029. HM Revenue & Customs data reveals that 2.9m individuals will reduce their pension savings due to these restrictions. Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister, said: "The effects of the policy will be far more damaging than had previously been admitted", and would undermine efforts to boost pension saving. The Treasury anticipates raising £4bn, primarily from employers, but businesses are expected to try to recoup costs by passing down smaller pay rises to employees. Middle earners, women and the self-employed were most at risk, analysis of the figures show.

The Daily Telegraph

Daily Express

Redundancy plans hit record high

Redundancy plans in the UK have surged to their highest level since the pandemic, with firms issuing notices at a rate of 8,900 per week, a 76% increase from last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Unemployment has risen to 5%, exacerbated by tax hikes and rising costs due to inflation. The situation is particularly challenging for young people, with over a million people aged 16-24 not in employment, education, or training.

Daily Mail

Teenagers face minimum wage uncertainty

Treasury minister Torsten Bell has indicated that there is no set timeline for Labour's pledge to equalise the minimum wage for all adults. This follows concerns raised by the Government's work tsar, Alan Milburn, regarding the rising costs of employing young people. Since 2024, the minimum wage for workers aged 18 to 20 has increased by 26% to £10.85, while older workers saw an 11% rise to £12.71.

Daily Mail

LEGAL

Employment Rights Act dubbed a union payback scheme

Labour is accused of funnelling cash via the Employment Rights Act back to its unions paymasters. The legislation mandates automatic enrolment of employees into union political funds, reversing the opt-in requirement and swelling union coffers. Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith described the bill as "payback" and a "union stitch-up" adding that the Act would make hiring a legal minefield.

Daily Express

TAX

Hospitality leaders urge NIC reversal

Hospitality leaders are calling on the Chancellor to reverse recent increases in employer national insurance contributions (NICs), citing a rise in youth unemployment. Jonathan Neame, CEO of Shepherd Neame, noted a 15% drop in hires at his pubs, while applications surged by 41%. Elsewhere, David McDowall of Stonegate pointed to the increased costs of hiring, urging the Chancellor to support job creation. UKHospitality echoed these concerns, stating that rising employment costs hinder job opportunities for youth. The warnings come after a report by Alan Milburn revealed that over 1m young people aged 16 to 24 are now not in education, employment, or training (Neets).

The Times

HIRING

Consultancies defy AI fears, boost hiring

Three major UK management consultancies are increasing their recruitment of young people and graduates this year, despite concerns about AI disrupting junior hiring. Clare Gordon, managing partner at Bain & Co, said that graduate hiring will rise by 25% compared to last year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Antonio Alvarez III from Alvarez & Marsal also confirmed plans to enhance graduate hiring and establish partnerships with educational institutions.

City AM

PRODUCTIVITY

Harvey highlights legal AI transformation

The rapid adoption of legal AI platforms such as Harvey is reshaping how law firms work, train lawyers and deliver services. Danny Fortson in the Sunday Times reports that major firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Slaughter and May and Fried Frank are investing heavily in AI tools, while legal educators debate the impact on training and professional development. Supporters argue AI can dramatically improve efficiency, document analysis and legal research, enabling lawyers to handle more work and focus on higher-value tasks. Critics warn that overreliance on AI could undermine the development of core legal skills and create risks around accuracy and professional judgement. Fortson suggests the technology is accelerating broader changes to law firm business models, recruitment, training and client service.

The Sunday Times

Amazon scraps AI leaderboard to stop workers chasing usage scores

Amazon has shut down an internal leaderboard that tracked employees’ use of AI tools after workers tried to boost their scores with unnecessary activity that increased the company’s computing costs.

Financial Times

REMUNERATION

Arm's CEO could become a billionaire

Rene Haas, the CEO of Arm, could earn over $1bn by 2031 under a new pay scheme linked to ambitious growth targets. The proposal includes a maximum bonus of $800m if Arm achieves a valuation of $1trn by 2029, rising to $2trn by 2031. Arm stated that this compensation reflects the significant value creation needed. The remuneration policy will be voted on by shareholders at the annual meeting. "The remuneration committee has developed the chief executive officer package to be competitive," the company noted.

The Guardian

OurCoop faces backlash over pay rises

OurCoop, an independent mutual retailer, is under fire from members after it significantly increased executive pay while withholding annual profit-share payments. Chief executive Deborah Robinson's salary rose to £2.2m, while finance officer Selina Butterfield-Mashoofi's pay surged to £1.13m. The increases came despite a 4.4% drop in sales and trading profit almost halving to £4.3m. Members expressed concerns over the lack of scrutiny regarding these pay rises, questioning the alignment with co-operative values.

The Guardian

INTERNATIONAL

Israeli website creator Wix cuts 1,000 jobs

Wix, the Israeli firm which helps small businesses build and operate websites, will lay off 20% of its workforce due to financial challenges stemming from the shekel's strength against the dollar. CEO Avishai Abrahami said the company's costs are in shekels while revenues are in dollars, creating unsustainable operational pressures. Additionally, the rise of artificial intelligence has rendered some positions redundant. Abrahami noted that new roles, such as "Xengineer and Creators," will be introduced, and these have been "designed from the ground up around AI-native ways of working." Abrahami explained: "We are moving to a structure with fewer levels between any member of our leadership and the most junior person on the team. Fewer layers means faster decisions, clearer ownership, and less distance between the people setting direction and the people building the product - but it also means a smaller number of people."

The Jerusalem Post

Target to evaluate store staff on how they interact with shoppers

Bloomberg reports that Target plans to evaluate store workers on how they greet, help and engage with shoppers to ensure service is more consistent. The Minneapolis-based retailer's managers will use performance metrics to create a more structured set of guidelines around measuring store services. More than 300,000 employees completed training aimed at making Target's stores easier to shop and its services friendlier, a company spokesman said. The performance metrics used will include execution, reliability and teamwork.

Bloomberg

Anthropic to continue expanding in Europe

Anthropic has opened its sixth office in Europe. The company's launch in Milan adds to its bases on the continent including London, Dublin, Zurich, Munich and Paris. Chris Ciauri, managing director for international at the US AI startup, did not disclose planned hiring in Milan. "We've publicly announced in London a few weeks back that we're opening a new office and ⁠we'll have 800 employees there. So Milan will get a lot bigger, Paris will get a lot bigger, Munich will get a lot bigger. There will be more offices," he said, adding: "We actually like the makeup of the Italian economy because we think it suits some of the things we do particularly well."

Reuters

Thai government urged to speed up labour deals

Thai Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat has committed to expediting the renewal of labour agreements with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam following warnings from the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking about severe labour shortages affecting key sectors. Currently, Thailand lacks around 500,000 workers. The construction industry is particularly affected. Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, emphasised the need for urgent measures, including extending work permits for existing migrant workers. Julapun acknowledged the issue's seriousness and pledged to address it promptly, saying: "The MoU process for importing labour remains essential to driving the economy."

Bangkok Post

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