Human Times

European Edition

8th December 2025

THE HOT STORY

Italian fashion houses face labour abuse probe

Multiple Italian fashion houses, including Gucci, Prada, and Versace, have been asked to provide governance and supply chain documents in a police probe into labour abuses at subcontractors. Authorities are investigating potential links to worker exploitation uncovered in Chinese-owned workshops, though none of the 13 brands involved is currently under investigation. The move is part of a broader effort by Italian prosecutors to clean up the luxury supply chain and support government plans for legal certification of ‘Made in Italy’ goods.

Reuters

South China Morning Post

LEGAL

European Commission fines X €120m under the Digital Services Act

The European Commission has fined X €120m for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers. "Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU. The DSA protects users. The DSA gives researchers the way to uncover potential threats. The DSA restores trust in the online environment. With the DSA’s first non-compliance decision, we are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability," Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said.

UK workers who are sensitive to rejection can sue for disability discrimination

Employees in the UK can now sue for disability discrimination if they have rejection sensitivity, a symptom of ADHD. The ruling follows the case of Ryan Toghill, a former Lidl employee, who was unfairly dismissed due to his condition. Employment Judge Samantha Moore found that Lidl failed to consider Toghill's ADHD and its effects, leading to his wrongful termination. The judge noted that Toghill experiences intense anxiety and communication difficulties due to his condition. A future hearing will determine the compensation he will receive.

The Sun

Daily Mail

Amazon pays €180m to settle Italian tax and labor investigation

Amazon has paid €180m ($210m) to Italian authorities and ended the use of a delivery staff monitoring system, closing a probe into alleged tax fraud and labour violations by its logistics unit. The investigation centred on the use of subcontractors to sidestep VAT and social security obligations. Amazon joins over 30 companies that have collectively paid more than €1bn to resolve similar cases.

Bloomberg Tax

Reuters

HIRING

UK hiring subdued amid Budget uncertainty

Hiring activity in the UK remained stagnant last month due to Budget uncertainty, according to a report by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Vacancies fell, continuing a two-year trend, while the number of job seekers surged at the second-fastest rate since November 2020. Meanwhile, permanent salaries increased as companies aimed to attract skilled workers. REC chief Neil Carberry observed signs of potential stabilisation but notes that there is "much more to do to get the economy firing," while Lisa Fernihough from KPMG UK warned that the jobs market "remains stuck in contraction."

Daily Mail

The Times

The Daily Telegraph

WORKPLACE

‘Hair salons and saunas’: Perks are the new frontier in the battle for top lawyers

Law firms are seeking to differentiate themselves beyond pay, the Financial Times reports. From health food to juice bars, office perks have become the new frontier in the war for talent.

Financial Times

TECHNOLOGY

Allowing AI to train itself is 'the biggest decision'

Anthropic chief scientist Jared Kaplan has warned that humanity will face a critical decision by 2030 over whether to allow AI systems to autonomously train themselves. Kaplan is urging governments and society to engage in what he called "the biggest decision," as frontier AI firms race toward artificial general intelligence. While AI could dramatically boost productivity, healthcare, and scientific research, Kaplan stresses the existential risks if machines begin to self-improve beyond human oversight. He also predicts that AI will soon be capable of performing most white-collar work, fundamentally reshaping education and employment.

The Guardian

ECONOMY

Eurozone retail sales stalled in October

October retail sales volumes in the Eurozone were flat on the month, following a revised 0.1% rise in September and falling short of economists’ 0.1% growth forecast. Eurostat said that Germany and France saw declines, while Spain remained unchanged. Despite consumer confidence reaching its highest level since February, economic uncertainty, high interest rates, and geopolitical tensions have kept spending subdued.

Wall Street Journal

INTERNATIONAL

Australian study identifies work-from-home benefits

Research from the University of Melbourne indicates that working from home can enhance the mental health of Australians. The study, which analysed 20 years of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, found that women benefitted most from a hybrid work model. Jan Kabatek, a co-author of the research, observed: "The biggest gains for women were found for work from home arrangements, which involved the majority of days spent at home, but retaining at least one or two days of work from the office or on-site . . . You are retaining the connection to the firm and to your colleagues, you can talk in person, and you are retaining those social ties, but you also have this work-from-home aspect that is strong enough to make a difference." The research found that although the mental health of Australian men was not significantly affected by working from home, their wellbeing was positively impacted by a reduction in daily commute times.

ABC Online

Starbucks Workers United rallies outside Empire State Building

Starbucks is facing continued strike action as Workers United’s open-ended walkout enters a third week, with no progress in contract talks and 55 locations still closed. The union is demanding better pay, hours, and resolution of hundreds of alleged labour violations. A New York City rally outside the Empire State Building on Thursday led to 12 arrests. Demonstrators were joined by members of other unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU. “Their fight is a fight really for all of us, to workers across the country, to corporations like Starbucks, across the country that workers are fed up with the status quo, and they’re not going to take it anymore,” commented SEIU president April Verrett. Starbucks says 99% of stores remain open, and that it is investing $500m in workforce improvements.

CNBC

Brazilian judge orders JBS poultry unit to be added to slavery list

A Brazilian federal labour judge has ordered the addition of JBS's poultry unit to a "dirty list" of employers linked to slavery-like conditions, following a federal raid that uncovered ten workers in exploitative circumstances at a contractor's facility. Investigations revealed that employees were subjected to excessively long shifts of up to 16 hours, insufficient living conditions, and unlawful wage deductions. Despite the government's Labour Minister initially blocking this listing, the judge deemed the intervention unlawful and highlighted the importance of the list in tackling modern slavery in Brazil.

Reuters

OTHER

Global billionaire population hits record 2,900 in 2025

The number of billionaires worldwide has risen to 2,900, collectively controlling $15.8tn in wealth, according to a new report from UBS. This marks an increase from 2,700 billionaires with $14tn in 2024, driven by tech sector valuations, rising share prices, and investment gains. UBS recorded 287 new billionaires, the second-highest annual increase since tracking began in 2015, split between entrepreneurs and heirs, including Colossal Biosciences founder Ben Lamm and 15 members of two German pharmaceutical dynasties. The rise reflects a broader generational transfer of wealth, with inheritance playing a growing role. The US remains the dominant region, though billionaire clients surveyed by UBS reported declining short-term investment appeal in North America (63%, down from 81%), with growing interest in Western Europe and Asia.

Wall Street Journal

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