Human Times
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UK Edition
10th November 2025
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THE HOT STORY

Bosses expect AI to reduce workforce

One in six employers anticipates workforce reductions due to AI over the next year, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD's latest labour market outlook survey, involving over 2,000 employers, shows that 62% expect clerical, junior managerial, professional or administrative roles to be most affected. Large private sector firms are particularly concerned, with 26% expecting headcount reductions compared with 17% in the private sector overall and 20% in the public sector. Of the firms that expect to cut roles because of AI, a quarter said they were preparing to lose more than one in 10 staff. James Cockett, a senior labour market economist at the CIPD, said: "AI has great potential for improving productivity . . . but it also risks leaving many people behind."
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REMUNERATION

KPMG to strip London weighting from workers living outside the city

KPMG is understood to have reduced the pay ranges offered for roles in commuter towns outside London, bringing them into line with pay scales in locations such as Birmingham and Manchester. A KPMG UK spokesman said: "We carry out annual benchmarking to guide our reward strategy. This year, it has led to adjustments in regional pay scales in some areas. No colleagues have had their salaries decreased as a result." The Sunday Times notes that the move comes as Big Four firms contend with a fall in demand for their services. The paper also points out that, two years ago, the Financial Reporting Council urged large accounting companies to pay younger staff in their audit divisions higher salaries to help make careers in auditing more attractive.
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LEGAL

Paid fertility leave could save companies millions

The Observer reports on calls to give workers a statutory right to paid fertility leave following a report from Fertility Matters at Work which found firms are losing £53.8m a year because employees are using sick days to take time off for fertility treatment, costing the UK economy an estimated £27.8m a year in lost productivity. The study also found some 6% of employees with fertility problems have left their job due to inadequate support. In a previous role, Natalie Sutherland, a partner at International Family Law, was the UK's first fertility officer. She says colleagues had told her that without support when they were going through ectopic pregnancy, egg freezing and miscarriage they would have left.

Film worker sues festival over trans views

Sara Morrison, a former inclusion officer at the Belfast Film Festival, is pursuing a tribunal case against the festival for constructive dismissal and discrimination. Her gender-critical views precipitated a social media backlash and workplace investigation. Morrison said: "I just don't want men in women's spaces." The case is significant because Northern Ireland's application of the Equality Act remains unclear. The festival plans to contest her claims.
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WORKFORCE

Inquiry will review rise in NEETs

The government has launched an independent review into the increasing number of 16–24-year-olds who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The figure is nearing 1m. Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn will lead the inquiry, which aims to uncover the causes of increasing youth inactivity, including rising long-term sickness, disability claims, and high levels of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions among young claimants. It will also propose ways to reduce long-term welfare costs and improve employment prospects. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden described the situation as a "crisis of opportunity" and stressed the need for a sensitive but effective policy response, noting that diagnosis should not automatically determine benefit entitlement.

Met chief wants underperforming officers to leave

The head of the Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, has announced plans to remove senior officers who fail to meet performance standards. He proposed a voluntary exit scheme to facilitate this change, which the Met Police Federation has labelled a "thinly veiled threat." Rowley aims for a "fundamental shift" in police leadership, with more rigorous performance reviews and development assessments. He acknowledged that past reviews were "less than candid," and said he aims to remove senior officers who are judged to be "unwilling or unable to meet our performance standards or role model our values." The Met is also in talks with the Home Office over reinstating compulsory retirement "on grounds of efficiency" to support a "healthier churn" and create "opportunities for talent."
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CULTURE

Nursing watchdog admits major failures

Paul Rees, the new chief of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), has acknowledged significant failures in the organisation's handling of misconduct cases. He admitted the NMC got it "completely wrong" by not investigating nurses accused of sexual misconduct outside work. Rees also conceded that the NMC should have suspended Lucy Letby sooner. The NMC is undergoing a leadership overhaul, and Rees warned that changing the organisation's culture could take years.
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LEADERSHIP

HSBC's leadership revolution kicks off

HSBC has launched a new leadership programme at its $150m campus in Guangzhou that is aimed at transforming its corporate culture. Chief executive Georges Elhedery is driving the change, emphasising accountability and high performance. The programme will be implemented across HSBC's global offices. Elhedery, who took over in 2024, faces the challenge of reshaping a workforce accustomed to a bureaucratic approach. The bank is also undergoing significant restructuring to cut costs and improve efficiency.
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INTERNATIONAL

DEI critic to lead US workplace civil rights agency

President Donald Trump has appointed Andrea Lucas as chair of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a move that signals a vote of confidence for her efforts to stamp out diversity programmes and prioritise religious rights in the workplace. Trump elevated Lucas to acting chair of the agency in January and concurrently fired two Democratic commissioners, clearing the way to establish a Republican majority. Lauren Khouri, senior director of workplace equality at the National Women's Law Center, said: “Andrea Lucas was handpicked by Trump to lead the EEOC and his mission of weaponising the agency to attack hardworking people across the country . . . Lucas has a history of abandoning workers at every turn and leaving them without protection, including women workers, transgender and nonbinary workers, and workers of colour."

Westpac won’t appeal pivotal work-from-home ruling

A spokesperson for Australian bank Westpac has said the lender will not appeal a labour tribunal ruling after it lost a case to compel one of its workers to be in the office twice a week. Last month, The Fair Work Commission found in favour of Karlene Chandler, who challenged Westpac after the bank said she needed to work from a corporate office two days a week. Until earlier this year, she had been allowed to work remotely. Legal experts say the Fair Work decision is a "wake-up call" for bosses campaigning for a return to the office.

France's highest audit court slams Louvre security

The Louvre has spent too much on new artworks and not enough on security in recent years, France’s state auditor has said. Pierre Moscovici, the head of the French Court of Auditors, France's highest audit institution, said in a highly critical report on Thursday that last month's heist was a "deafening wake-up call" for museum security, which had been moving at a "woefully inadequate pace." 

Israel weighs not taxing new immigrants for first two years

Israel's Finance Ministry has announced a tax reform for new immigrants and returning residents making Aliyah in 2026. They will enjoy a two-year tax exemption, after which rates will rise by 10% annually, reaching 30% by 2030 for incomes up to 1m shekels. Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer highlighted the reform's significance in enhancing integration and economic growth, describing it as a "major and meaningful component" of national efforts to encourage Aliyah. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said: "The year 2026 will bring a revolution in Aliyah." 
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OTHER

Companies push for regulation on plastics reduction

Global food and packaging companies, including Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever, are collaborating to reduce plastic use and advocate for regulation following the collapse of U.N. talks in August. The failure to secure a deal on cutting plastic has left many advocates pessimistic about achieving a global agreement during U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. "It is certainly encouraging to see multinationals publicly recommit on plastics, but credibility now hinges on evidence, not new promises," Kelly Cooper, sustainability consultant and co-author of a Harvard study into the impact of political shifts on corporate sustainability, told Reuters.
 
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