Human Times

UK Edition

15th April 2026

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THE HOT STORY

PwC plans overhaul of global consulting business

PwC plans to overhaul its global consulting business in a bid to eliminate the sometimes disjointed service when its national firms work together, which bosses view as a competitive disadvantage. The firm aims to standardise offerings and enhance shared technology platforms, with a focus on using staff from lower-cost locations such as India. The Big Four's consulting groups operate as networks of locally owned partnerships, serving under the broader international organisation. This can make serving multinational clients complicated. PwC's UK arm has reportedly told staff that it will merge its risk and consulting divisions, bringing together two of its three advisory businesses alongside audit and tax. The firm said the move is in response to growing client demand for "globally integrated advisory services." Marco Amitrano, PwC UK's senior partner, said: "This decision is about global alignment."

Bloomberg Tax

Financial Times

City AM

AI READINESS

Report: What Your People Really Think About AI

As AI reshapes workplaces at pace, HR leaders are under pressure to cut through the noise and understand what employees actually feel about the technology. Are they excited? Anxious? Already using it without telling you? A new YouGov‑powered report reveals the truth - including the real concerns employees won’t raise in team meetings, and the practical steps HR can take to build trust, confidence and clarity during AI adoption. If preparing your organisation for AI is on your roadmap this year, this is the essential insight you’ll want in your toolkit.

Download the report here

TECHNOLOGY

Many employees still choose not to use AI

According to a new Gallup poll, more American workers are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their jobs, yet scepticism about the technology persists. The survey reveals that while 30% of employees frequently use AI, many remain concerned about job displacement due to new technologies. Scott Segal, a social worker, expressed his worries, saying: “I think everyone who works in a replaceable field or trade should be planning ahead.” The poll highlights that 40% of workers report their organisations have adopted AI tools, with two-thirds noting a positive impact on productivity. However, about half of US employees said they use AI infrequently or not at all, citing ethical concerns and a preference for traditional methods. The fear of job loss is growing, with 18% of workers believing their jobs may be eliminated in the next five years due to AI advancements.

U.S. News

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Parents and schools need to better equip young Britons for work, former minister says

Parents and schools need to better equip young people with the “character attributes” employers require, Alan Milburn, the head of a government inquiry into youth unemployment and inactivity, has said.

Financial Times

WORKFORCE

Long Covid to cost up to $135bn a year over the next decade

Research suggests long Covid is likely to cost up to $135bn a year across OECD economies over the next decade. Direct healthcare costs combined with the wider effect of people leaving the workforce and lower productivity will have a lasting impact, the global forum said. The OECD found that only six countries have formal pathways for treating the illness. Some people are left unable to work, require changes to their jobs or become less productive.

Bloomberg

MANAGEMENT

Senior NHS officials warned staff over criticising rollout of Palantir platform

The FT reports that senior NHS officials put the frighteners on staff who objected to the rollout of Palantir’s Federated Data Platform amid ethical objections and uneven adoption across the service.

Financial Times

STRATEGY

Morrisons plans job cuts

Morrisons has announced plans to cut about 200 jobs at its headquarters as part of a restructuring initiative. ThE reduction represents nearly 10% of the workforce at the office in Bradford. The company, which employs around 96,000 people in the UK, has begun a consultation process with affected staff. A spokesperson said: "We are proposing to make some changes to a number of areas within our central structure."

BBC News

The Daily Telegraph

The Times

WORKPLACE

Is the office bar back?

More employers are hoping that office bars can offer a morale boost - but old worries about bad behaviour may explain why they have not yet fully returned to the mainstream.

Financial Times

ECONOMY

IMF downgrades UK growth forecast

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded the UK's growth forecast for 2026 by 0.5%, and now predicts an increase of just 0.8%. This marks the largest downgrade among G7 nations. The forecasted decline is attributed to trade disruptions from the conflict in the Middle East. The IMF expects GDP growth for the UK to be 1.3% in 2027, a 0.2 percentage point downgrade on its previous forecast. Inflation in the UK is expected to reach 3.2% this year, before easing to 2.4% in 2027. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "The war in Iran is not our war, but it will come at a cost to the UK."

BBC News

City AM

The Times

INTERNATIONAL

Former Lafarge chief sentenced to six years for financing terrorism

Former Lafarge CEO Bruno Lafont has been sentenced to six years in prison for paying €5.6m to Islamic State (IS) and other terror groups in return for allowing the company’s workers continued access to its Syrian plant. Lafarge, which is now part of the Swiss conglomerate Holcim, paid the money via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS). Seven other employees were also found guilty on terrorism charges. "These payments took the form of a genuine commercial partnership ‌with the Islamic State," said presiding Judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez. "This method of financing terrorist organisations, and primarily IS, was essential in enabling the terrorist organisation to gain control of Syria's natural resources, allowing it to finance terrorist acts within the region and those planned abroad, particularly in Europe."

Advocates have questions about Singapore's new housing complex for workers

Singapore's government has opened a new housing complex for workers called the NESST Tukang Dormitory. It is the first migrant worker housing to be wholly owned by the government and aims to address issues such as hygiene and overcrowding that helped Covid spread rapidly. Advocates for workers' rights nevertheless say that such infrastructure is not keeping pace with the growth in worker numbers, and many still live in poor conditions. Ethan Guo, executive director of Singaporean nonprofit Transient Workers Count Too, said of migrant workers' general impressions of the city-state: “[They] generally have a very good impression of Singapore. They see the photos on their phone and think it’s clean and beautiful. They arrive and see what’s provided to them, and they’re shocked.”

Bloomberg

Brazil to release $1.37bn from severance fund for 10 million workers

Brazil's government is set to release 7bn reais ($1.37bn) from the workers' severance fund (FGTS) to assist approximately 10 million workers, O Globo has reported. Labour Minister Luiz Marinho said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to alleviate household debt. Employees can access the FGTS severance fund in certain ⁠circumstances, such as buying a home, loss of employment or serious health problems.

U.S. News

OTHER

Xi says world order is ‘crumbling Into disarray’

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday in Beijing that the international order is "crumbling into disarray." Bloomberg notes that Xi used a Chinese phrase indicating not only chaos but also moral decay. Spain is one of China’s closest friends in Europe. “Both China and Spain are nations of principle and integrity,” Xi said, adding that the two sides should “enhance communication, consolidate mutual trust, and cooperate closely to resist any regression toward the law of the jungle.”

Bloomberg

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