Human Times
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North American Edition
11th May 2026
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THE HOT STORY

Google settles racial discrimination lawsuit for $50m

Google has agreed to pay $50m to settle a lawsuit filed by Black employees alleging systemic racial discrimination in hiring, pay, and advancement. April Curley, a former employee, claimed the company engaged in unfair treatment, steering Black workers into lower-level roles. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the plaintiffs, said: "This case is about accountability, plain and simple . . . For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.” The settlement includes commitments to pay equity analyses and limits on mandatory arbitration for employment disputes until August 2026. Google has not commented on the settlement.
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SETTING KPIs

HR pros: Top KPIs you need to prioritize in 2026

You’re important. And as an HR professional, you’re especially important for your organization’s success.  

That’s why it’s critical you set attainable, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) for your HR team, putting you in a position to provide concrete data and actionable insights to keep your organization on track to achieve its goals.  

To help you, we’ve compiled a list of the top KPIs to focus on in 2026 from upskilling your workforce to ensuring legal compliance. Download the full guide for a complete list of the top KPIs you need to prioritize and help your organization achieve its 2026 goals today.

Access your guide here

 
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HIRING

U.S. hiring beats expectations despite Iran war energy shock

U.S. employers added a stronger-than-expected 115,000 jobs in April despite economic disruption caused by the Iran war and surging energy prices, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%. Healthcare led hiring gains with 37,000 new jobs, followed by retail with 22,000, while manufacturers cut 2,000 positions and have shed 66,000 jobs over the past year despite protectionist policies aimed at boosting factory employment. The labor market has so far remained resilient even as the conflict disrupted global oil supplies and pushed U.S. gasoline prices above $4.50 per gallon. Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% month over month and 3.6% year over year, remaining broadly consistent with the Federal Reserve’s inflation target. Economists said demographic shifts, including Baby Boomer retirements and tighter immigration policies, have reduced the number of jobs needed each month to maintain stable unemployment levels. Healthcare hiring has continued to dominate the labor market, adding 456,000 jobs over the past year, while most other sectors combined have reduced staffing. Although hiring slowed from March’s revised 185,000 gain, the report suggested the U.S. labor market remains relatively stable despite weaker global growth expectations and elevated energy costs tied to the Iran conflict.
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STRATEGY

Fidelity to lay off 1% of workforce

Fidelity is to cut roughly 800 jobs, representing about 1% of its global workforce of 80,000 employees, even as the company plans to hire thousands of additional staff as it looks to upgrade its technology and product delivery teams. "These changes are about getting the right combination of skills in place for where Fidelity and its customers need them most," a spokesperson said. "This means creating more room for early career, hands-on engineering roles and streamlining management layers."
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TECHNOLOGY

AI agent runs Swedish café

In Stockholm, the Andon Café is testing the limits of artificial intelligence with an AI agent named "Mona" which oversees operations while human baristas serve coffee. The experimental café, which has been set up by San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs, has made more than $5,700 in sales since it opened in mid-April, but less than $5,000 remains from its original budget of more than $20,000, much of which was spent on one-time setup costs. Emrah Karakaya, an associate professor of industrial economics at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says putting AI in charge could cause many problems - for example, the apportioning of responsibility if a customer gets food poisoning. “If you don't have the required organizational infrastructure around it, and if you overlook these mistakes, it can cause harm to people, to society, to the environment, to business,” Karakaya cautions. “The question is, do we care about this negative impact?”
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

AI used to train firm's lawyers on soft skills

Law firm Perkins Coie's London office is seeking to enhance its lawyers' soft skills through a partnership with AI training platform Levra. The firm is beta testing a program that uses avatars to simulate scenarios focused on emotional and social intelligence. Ian Bagshaw, the managing partner of Perkins Coie’s London office, said: “We’re working with [Levra] in order to create a training pathway across core skills that allows our talent to practice, learn, practice outside of client situations, so that when they’re in client situations and when they’re in difficult internal situations, they are prepared, they’ve seen it before, they understand how best to communicate.” Bagshaw added: “The use of technology creates an absolute safe space for people to experiment . . . It’s very hard to recreate it in any human coaching environment.”
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LEGAL

UCLA medical school illegally uses race in admissions, DOJ claims

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine of unlawfully using race in admissions decisions, particularly discriminating against white and Asian American applicants. Such practice would violate the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which prohibited race-conscious admissions. The DOJ's findings, based on a year-long review under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, claims that UCLA leadership “intentionally selected applicants based on their race.” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said: “UCLA's admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence - allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors.” The DOJ said it is seeking a voluntary resolution with UCLA but will pursue legal action if there is no agreement.
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INTERNATIONAL

Graduates using AI 'misrepresent abilities' for jobs

Two-thirds of U.K. employers have expressed concern that the overuse of AI in job applications misrepresents the skills of young graduates. The Institute of Student Employers found that 67% of employers worry about AI skewing perceptions of graduates' abilities, up from 48% last year. The institute's annual development survey report said: "As AI tools become more widely available employers appear increasingly concerned about whether candidates' applications, assessments or interview responses fully reflect their individual skills and capabilities. This raises broader questions about the reliability of traditional selection methods and highlights the need for organizations to adapt recruitment processes to account for the growing use of generative AI." Employers also noted "readiness gaps" in graduates in their motivation and self-awareness, as well as wider contextual understanding, planning and organizational abilities. 

Commerzbank plans 3,000 job cuts

Commerzbank has said it plans to cut 3,000 jobs to help it reach ​more ambitious profit targets as part of a strategy to fend off a mooted takeover by Italian lender UniCredit. "UniCredit’s communicated plan remains vague and bears considerable execution risks, while using misleading narratives that discredit ​Commerzbank," the German lender said about UniCredit's recent move to officially launch its takeover attempt at a ​below-market price of €37bn ($43.43bn).

Mauritius targets wealth with golden visa program

Mauritius has said it expects to attract 100 high-net-worth-individuals annually through its golden visa program. The plan, which requires holders to invest at least $1m within a year of their arrival in the island nation, was set up after “multiple enquiries” from foreigners seeking to relocate with their families, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said. Bloomberg notes critics who argue such programs deepen inequality by giving opportunities to the rich that are denied to others. Ramgoolam said safeguards are in place to mitigate risks. “With respect to the risks of money laundering and illicit financial flows, a robust, risk-based due diligence framework is already in place.” 

AI reliance could cost companies dearly

Singapore's Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Education Jasmin Lau has warned that companies which rely solely on artificial intelligence risk losing their competitive edge. During a parliamentary debate, she emphasized the importance of investing in human talent alongside technology. “If companies here replace humans completely with AI, they will find themselves in future to have no competitive edge when AI is available to all,” she said. “They will also find themselves at the mercy of AI companies.”
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OTHER

President Trump revives school fitness test and presidential award program

President Trump has revived the Presidential Physical Fitness Award as part of a broader effort to restore competitive physical fitness testing in American schools. Speaking at the White House alongside children, professional athletes, and Cabinet officials, Trump said the initiative is designed to promote athletic excellence, competitiveness, and healthier lifestyles among young Americans. The award will once again be tied to the Presidential Fitness Test, a long-running school program that was phased out during the Obama administration in favor of a health-focused fitness model. The original test measured students through activities such as a one-mile run, sit-ups, and other exercises, with top-performing students receiving the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Details of the updated program have not yet been released.

 
PBS
 
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