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28th March 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
Kennedy to cut 10,000 jobs in overhaul of U.S. health agencies
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said the department he leads would cut 10,000 full-time employees spread across agencies that respond to disease outbreaks, approve new drugs, provide insurance for the poorest Americans and more. “We’re going to eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments and agencies while preserving their core function,” Kennedy said in a video posted on X.  The job cuts include 3,500 at the Food and Drug Administration, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health. Doreen Greenwald, the national president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said: “The administration’s claims that such deep cuts to the Food and Drug Administration and other critical HHS offices won’t be harmful are preposterous.”
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Federal judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump's anti-DEI executive orders
A U.S. judge has temporarily allowed Labor Department grant recipients to continue their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs while considering a longer-lasting injunction against the Trump administration's restrictions on "equity-related grants." U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly ruled that the requirement for grantees to certify they do not operate DEI programs violated their First Amendment rights. Thursday's ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed by Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT), a nonprofit  that helps prepare women for work in skilled construction trades and has several contracts with the Department of Labor. Kennelly said: "The impact of this provision on CWIT and other grantees is likely to result in self-censorship."
Black creators rethink strategies amid DEI cuts
With more and more major U.S. companies retracting their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Black creators are reassessing their business strategies. Ericka Chambers, co-founder of Puzzles of Color, expressed concern, asking: "It becomes a question of, are the big box stores going to be there?" The shift follows a wave of corporate pullbacks, with brands like Target and Walmart scaling back their DEI commitments. This has left many Black-owned businesses, such as Pound Cake and Puzzles of Color, questioning their partnerships and future growth. While some entrepreneurs, like Chantel Powell of Play Pits, highlight the potential impact of boycotts on their businesses, others, like Jason Panda of B Condoms, remain optimistic about their community ties. Despite the challenges, Aurora James of the Fifteen Percent Pledge notes that many companies still support Black businesses, indicating a resilient spirit among Black creators.
WORKFORCE
New jobless claims inched down by 1,000 last week
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady in the seven days to March 22, edging down 1,000 to 224,000, the Labor Department reported on Thursday, just below the 225,000 expected among economists polled by Reuters. The four-week moving average of claims dropped 4,750 to 224,000, while the total number of recipients of government benefits fell 25,000 to 1.86m. Recent employment data shows "two separate worlds," according to RSM U.S. economist Joe Brusuelas. “One in which firms are managing their [workforces] incredibly carefully, because we still are under conditions where labor is tight; there’s going to be constraints on labor supply, and that’s what’s contributing to the remarkable stability in overall claims,” he said. “The other world is federal government employment, where, first, there’s likely more people who are unemployed than the claims would suggest. Second, individuals are clearly beginning to hedge their bets around employment and are actively seeking work.”
Former Tesla CFO leads funding round in employee rewards start-up
Zach Kirkhorn, Tesla's former chief financial officer, has led a $16.5m funding round in Jolly, a start-up that aims to help companies improve employee productivity through rewards. On the platform, employees can earn points by, for example, picking up extra shifts, upselling a high-margin product, adhering to safety protocols or completing a certain task on time, and then exchange them for gift cards or their employer’s apparel. All of its corporate customers are currently healthcare services providers, but Jolly is in the process of adding clients in other industries, including manufacturing, logistics, construction, and fast-food.
LEGAL
Trump loyalists take charge at OPM
The White House has appointed two Trump loyalists, Billy Long and Douglas Hoelscher, as senior advisors at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Their arrival follows a controversial email sent by Elon Musk, demanding federal employees summarize their weekly achievements, which caused unrest among civil servants. The email, titled "What did you do last week?", led to tensions within Trump's cabinet and confusion among government workers, prompting some agencies to advise employees to disregard it. OPM said it is "continuing to bring in top talent to support President Trump's mission." Long, awaiting Senate confirmation to lead the IRS, and Hoelscher, chair of the American Leadership Initiative, are expected to enhance policy coordination between the White House and OPM, which is central to Trump's bureaucratic overhaul. 
Court orders Trump to rehire workers
An appeals court in California has upheld a judge's order mandating the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of federal workers dismissed during mass firings. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an emergency motion to pause U.S. District Judge William Alsup's ruling, which found that the firings violated legal protocols. Alsup had said: "I am appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier." The administration has appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that judges should not interfere with federal employment policies. The firings have affected over 16,000 workers across various departments, including Veterans Affairs and Defence. Additionally, a separate ruling in Baltimore indicated further legal issues with the firings, potentially impacting around 24,000 workers. The administration maintains that the dismissals were justified due to performance issues.
Professors sue Trump administration over arrests of campus protesters
Groups representing university professors have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the detention of noncitizen students and faculty members for protesting on campus infringes on U.S. citizens' rights to engage with foreign-born peers. The lawsuit, lodged in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, argues that the administration's deportation policies create a chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom. Ramya Krishnan, a senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia, said: “Today, the administration is going after pro-Palestinian speech, but tomorrow it can go after speech criticizing fossil fuels.” The plaintiffs include the American Association of University Professors and several university chapters, and asserts that the deportation policy violates both the First and Fifth Amendments by failing to provide fair warning regarding grounds for arrest and deportation. The defendants include President Donald Trump and key officials from the Department of Homeland Security.
IRS to hand over taxpayer info to ICE
The IRS is nearing an agreement to share taxpayer information, including addresses, with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This arrangement, which is more limited than initially proposed, follows the removal of former IRS chief counsel William Paul, who opposed such disclosures. Under the agreement, ICE can request names to cross-reference with IRS databases to confirm the identities of individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. Nandan Joshi, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, said: "The IRS must disclose the terms of its unprecedented information sharing agreement with ICE".
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
A white-collar world without juniors?
The FT's Sarah O'Connor wonders whether the traditional transfer of skills between experts and learners can survive the age of artificial intelligence, and says professional business models may need to change.
SUSTAINABILITY
Four-fifths of companies keeping or building on climate targets
The vast majority of public companies are either retaining or ramping up their climate commitments, with companies found to be more than twice as likely to be increasing their emissions reduction goals than decelerating them, according to a new study by PwC. Based on data from climate research provider and environmental disclosure platform CDP, PwC’s 2025 State of Decarbonization found that, while headlines suggest that companies are scaling back their sustainability efforts, 47% of companies maintained their decarbonization targets in 2024, and 37% actually increased their ambitions, while only 16% pulled back on their climate goals. Even among those scaling back, PwC found that more than half are recalibrating their expectations lower from overly ambitious goals set in the absence of a detailed plan, as companies gain a better view of what it achievable.
INTERNATIONAL
Bill passes parliament to improve gender equality in Australia
Large businesses in Australia are set to implement significant changes to enhance workplace gender equality following the passage of a new bill. The revised Workplace Gender Equality Act mandates that organizations with over 500 employees establish three gender equality targets within three years. Employers can select from various priority areas, including addressing the gender pay gap and improving workforce composition. Approximately 2,000 employers will be affected, benefiting around 3.9m employees. Workplace Gender Equality Agency CEO Mary Wooldridge emphasized the importance of these targets, saying: “Targets are specific, time-bound and measurable objectives that set a benchmark for employers to work towards.” Failure to comply may result in losing Commonwealth contracts and public naming by the agency. The WGEA has reported a gender pay gap of A$28,425 annually. 
Former Citibank employee in U.K. settles sex discrimination case
Maeve Bradley, a former assistant vice president at Citibank U.K., has settled her sex discrimination case for £215,000 ($280,000) after alleging she was denied a promotion while on maternity leave. Supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Bradley claimed that the individual covering her role was promoted during her absence, which she deemed unlawful. Despite raising a grievance, it was not upheld, leading her to pursue legal action. She said: “I felt compelled to challenge this decision, not just for myself, but to ensure that no other woman is penalized for taking time off to have a child.” Citibank has committed to reviewing its equal opportunities policies to prevent similar issues in the future. Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission, emphasized that “issues around pregnancy and maternity in the workplace continue to be the most common complaints of sex discrimination.”
American firms flock to India
American companies are racing to set up more and bigger offshore campuses in India, the New York Times reports. “If I walk a half-kilometer, I see Google, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Visa, Samsung, and Amazon right here,” observes Apul Nahata of RapidAI, a Silicon Valley-headquartered medical technology company that uses artificial intelligence to interpret brain scans, about the situation in Bengaluru. Although tech has a particularly noticeable presence in the city, JPMorgan Chase has the biggest offices, with 55,000 workers spread across Bengaluru and also four other Indian cities. And even all-American retailers like Target and Lowe's have centers employing 4,000 to 5,000 Indians in Bengaluru.
OTHER
Wealthy Americans flock to Swiss banks
Amid rising economic uncertainty and concerns over potential restrictions on capital movement, ultra-wealthy Americans are increasingly opening accounts in Swiss banks. Robert Paul, co-head of private clients at London and Capital, noted that clients are transferring sums of up to $100m. Judi Galst, managing director at Henley & Partners, reported that a quarter of her clients are considering moving their assets abroad, while Swiss private bank Pictet confirmed a "significant uptick" in demand.
 


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