Human Times

European Edition

4th March 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Amazon to invest €18bn more in Spain to expand data centres and AI

Amazon has announced plans to invest an additional €18bn ($21bn) in Spain to expand its data centre infrastructure and advance artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, bringing its total investment in the country to €33.7bn. The announcement followed a meeting between Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer, David Zapolsky, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new investment is expected to support up to 30,000 jobs by 2035 and position Spain as Amazon’s European hub for AI operations.

Reuters

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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WORKFORCE

Dutch unions prepare for nationwide strikes

Following a brief meeting with the Jetten cabinet, the current cabinet of the Netherlands, Dutch unions are preparing for nationwide strikes in response to proposed social reforms. The labour federations FNV, CNV, and VCP expressed their frustration over plans to raise the AOW retirement age and shorten unemployment benefits. FNV representative Dick Koerselman said: "Don't expect us to enter substantive talks with this cabinet."

NL Times

UK's net migration to stay below 300,000 a year

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that net migration to the UK will average 235,000 annually from 2026 to 2030, a reduction of 60,000 from previous estimates. The decline is attributed to increased emigration of British nationals. In 2026, net migration is expected to be 200,000, rising to 281,000 by 2030. The OBR said the level of net migration has a "significant impact" on the level of real GDP. Harry Quilter-Pinner from the Institute For Public Policy Research think-tank warned that reduced migration "poses a medium-term risk to public finances."

Daily Mail

STRATEGY

Kuehne+Nagel to cut over 2,000 jobs

Kuehne+Nagel, the Swiss logistics group which ⁠operates in over 100 countries, is cutting more than 2,000 jobs as part of a cost-savings programme that was implemented in the fourth quarter. CEO Stefan Paul also said the company may benefit from the conflict in the Middle East, because global trade turmoil typically drives higher demand for its consultancy services. "Complexity normally helps a forwarder to have better results," he said.

Reuters

Luxembourg finance firms are increasingly turning to India

Luxembourg's financial sector is increasingly offshoring roles to India, impacting local job opportunities. A Savills and CoreNet Global report revealed that 49% of multinationals are exploring global capability centres (GCCs) to manage costs and scale operations. Himanshu Upadhyay, president of the Indian Business Chamber of Luxembourg, noted that local firms struggle to hire quickly. While 90% of financial institutions outsourced activities in 2023, recruiters warn that this shift narrows entry-level roles, making it tougher for graduates. Darren Robinson from Anderson Wise emphasised the need for continued investment in local talent to maintain competitiveness.

Luxembourg Times

CYBERSECURITY

Iranian-linked cyber activity surges

The digital activity of Iranian-linked cyber groups has increased tenfold since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, according to Tel Aviv-based cyber security company Check Point Software Technologies. Attacks and activities have focused on Israel and Arab countries and have included phishing attempts and alleged “hack and leak” operations, Check Point has said.

Wall Street Journal

INTERNATIONAL

Australian state to enshrine the right to work from home

The Australian state of Victoria is to launch legislation ‌to give employees the legal right to work from home two days per week. The legislation is to be introduced to Parliament in July, and is expected to take effect in September. "Work from home works for families, because it saves time and money and it gets more parents working," said Premier Jacinta Allan. "That's why we will protect work from home in law from 1 September." Prof Peter Holland, a human resource management expert at the Swinburne University of Technology, observed: “This is something the workforce actively wants, and employers who ignore that do so at their own risk.” Allan revealed that small businesses will not be exempt from the laws. She said the government had consulted extensively with businesses and decided that applying the policy to all employers was a matter of “fairness.”

ABC News

Reuters

The Guardian

Millions of Asian migrant workers in Gulf at risk amid conflict

Millions of migrant workers in the Gulf region are at risk as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli strikes. The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Pakistan are monitoring the location of their citizens and preparing evacuation and repatriation plans, and Vietnam has suspended the deployment of workers to the region. Bloomberg notes that previous conflicts in the Middle East have seen some migrant workers abandoned by employers, often without their wages or travel documents.

Bloomberg

South China Morning Post

Straits Times

JPMorgan and Citi ask Middle East staff to work from home

JPMorgan and Citigroup employees in the Middle East have been asked to work from home amid escalating local tensions, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Both US lenders say they do not expect disruptions to their operations in the region due to the US-Israeli air war ‌against Iran, said the sources. "We are continuing to take measures to help keep our employees ⁠and their families safe," Citigroup said in a statement.

Reuters

Mizuho to replace 5,000 clerical jobs with AI in a decade

Mizuho Financial Group plans to use artificial intelligence to replace approximately 5,000 administrative positions in Japan over the next ten years in an effort to enhance productivity. Affected employees will be transferred to other roles, the bank said. “We are planning to enhance our earnings capabilities by shifting human resources to our focus areas by fully utilising AI,” Mizuho said in a statement. “It is not a headcount reduction.” Mizuho CEO Masahiro Kihara said in October: “I don’t think humans will lose their value . . . They can aim for more value-added work.”

Bloomberg

Japan Times

OTHER

Everyone in the Netherlands is getting a new bank card

All Dutch banks are replacing old debit cards with new Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit cards to enhance payment options. The new cards will allow global payments wherever Mastercard and Visa are accepted. ING began replacing cards last November, with most customers expected to receive theirs by year-end. Rabobank and ABN AMRO are also in the process of replacement, with over 10% of ABN AMRO's cards now replaced. Unlike credit cards, these debit cards draw funds directly from accounts and lack purchase insurance.

NL Times

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