Human Times

European Edition

20th April 2026

THE HOT STORY

AI threatens ‘jobs with dignity', Nobel-winning economist says

Simon Johnson, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in economics, warns that AI could erode middle-class jobs and widen inequality unless policymakers start tackling the issue now. Johnson tells Bloomberg that while technical transformations create jobs, the current trajectory suggests a net loss of "jobs with dignity", and while alternative paths are possible, they are not guaranteed. He believes that governments need to be prepared and that institutions should be created to manage the impact of the technology.

Blooomberg

Luxembourg Times

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WORKFORCE

Foreign seasonal workers in Finland face exploitation

In Finland's Lapland, allegations of exploitation among seasonal workers have resurfaced as the winter season ends. A survey by Service Union United PAM revealed that up to 40% of foreign seasonal workers reported facing poor treatment, including cramped living conditions and excessive working hours without breaks. Sergi Alos, a seasonal worker from Spain, described his experience of inadequate accommodation, sharing space with 40 others. Henna-Kaisa Turpeinen, PAM's regional manager, noted that companies repeatedly violate labour rules due to insufficient oversight and sanctions, with only 14 inspections conducted during the season.

YLE Uutiset

STRATEGY

IBM scales back Bratislava workforce

IBM has announced significant job cuts in Bratislava, with up to 20% of its workforce at risk. The Slovak labour office reported a planned reduction of 439 positions in the business services sector. Employees have received redundancy notices, with some set to end their employment by 31 May. IBM's Bratislava centre has seen its workforce shrink from 4,600 to around 3,000 in recent years. While the company has not commented on the reasons for the cuts, it has previously indicated that certain roles are no longer economically viable. Employees will receive severance packages of at least five months' salary.

The Slovak Spectator

REMOTE WORKING

Remote working tribunal cases in UK plummet

The number of employment tribunals in Great Britain related to remote working fell by 13% in 2025, marking the first decline since the pandemic began. A total of 54 cases were decided, down from 62 in 2024, as rising unemployment and a tightening labour market shifted power towards employers. Jim Moore, an employee relations expert at Hamilton Nash, noted that many workers are opting to "keep their heads down" rather than challenge return-to-office mandates. The introduction of the right to request flexible working may also have encouraged employees to resolve disputes internally.

The Guardian

LEGAL

EU age checking app is ready

The European Union’s age verification application is ready to be rolled out to protect children online, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. “Our European age verification app is technically ready” and will “soon” be “available for citizens to use,” von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels. “We are moving ahead with full speed and determination ⁠on the enforcement of our European rules. We are holding accountable those online platforms that do not protect our kids enough . . . This app gives parents, teachers, caretakers a powerful tool to protect children, because we will have zero tolerance for companies that do not respect our children's rights.”

TECHNOLOGY

Google should share search data with third-party engines, EU says

The European Commission has said Google should allow third-party search engines, including that of artificial ‌intelligence chatbots with search functionalities, to access its search data in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Clare Kelly, senior competition counsel at Google, said the company would contest the measures, which it said overreached and would jeopardise users' privacy. "Hundreds of millions of Europeans trust Google with their ⁠most sensitive searches - including private questions about their health, family, and finances - and the Commission's proposal would force us to hand this data over to third parties, with dangerously ineffective privacy protections," Kelly said.

EU Today

Engadget

Reuters

ECONOMY

IMF warns on war risks

The IMF warns that a prolonged Middle East conflict could push global growth down to about 2% in 2026, a pace associated with the deepest recent downturns. Chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said the war has already disrupted energy markets more than the 1973 oil crisis and cautioned: “Every day the clock is running, it gets bigger and bigger.” In its reference scenario, global growth reaches 3.1%, but a longer conflict could cut that to 2.6% or worse, with higher inflation and uneven damage across regions.

Wall Street Journal

POLITICAL

More than half of UK voters back EU return

Support for rejoining the EU is increasing in the UK, with Best for Britain analysis showing that 53% of all voters are in favour of a full return to the bloc. The study shows that support among Labour voters is at 83%, with similar levels among those supporting the Liberal Democrats (84%) and Greens (82%). Meanwhile, four in 10 Conservative supporters and one in five Reform voters also said they are in favour of a full return to the EU. Meanwhile, 61% of all UK voters support the government's current approach to EU relations.

The Guardian

INTERNATIONAL

Disney begins 1,000 job cuts

The Walt Disney Co. has begun a round of layoffs that will see the elimination of 1,000 jobs across various divisions, including television, movie studios, and ESPN. Chief Executive Josh D'Amaro informed staff about the cuts last week. “Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” D'Amaro said. “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow's needs . . . As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.”

The Baltimore Sun

Los Angeles Times

Samsung call on court to block illegal strike activities by unions

Samsung Electronics wants a court to block the company's South Korean labour unions from engaging in illegal activities during strike action. Unionised workers at the world's largest manufacturer of memory chips last month voted to authorise strike plans and threatened to walk out for 18 days from May 21, should a wage deal with management not be agreed upon. The unions accused Samsung of infringing on workers' right to strike, which is protected under the law. A strike at the company could worsen bottlenecks in the global supply of semiconductors.

Straits Times

OTHER

US urges nations to back 'trade over aid' plan

The US wants other nations to back a “trade over aid” initiative at the United Nations as part of the Trump administration’s broader shift away from donor-focused development assistance and toward greater private investment. “The idea that trade and free market capitalism is the surest path to prosperity has been proven by the facts and by history,” said Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman. “The US remains the most generous country in the history of the world, but those arguing for ‘aid not trade’ are really arguing for lining the pockets of a corrupt NGO industrial complex.” The new US position has drawn criticism from the non-profit sector and others working on economic development goals.

Financial Times

Washington Post

The Guardian

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