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North American Edition
31st January 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
DEI has made air travel less safe, Trump says
President Trump has suggested that diversity initiatives from previous administrations contributed to the tragic collision between a passenger jet and a U.S. army helicopter which resulted in 67 fatalities. The incident, the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. in over two decades, saw the aircraft collide mid-air before crashing into the Potomac River. Trump said: "The [Federal Aviation Administration] is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website.” He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.” An initial report from the FAA reveals that staffing shortages on the night of the crash forced one air traffic controller to do two people’s jobs.
LEGAL
Google employees launch petition for ‘job security’
CNBC reports that Google employees have launched a petition for “job security” as they prepare for more expected layoffs. The petition urges Google CEO Sundar Pichai to offer buyouts before conducting layoffs and to guarantee severance to employees that do get laid off. The petition has been signed by more than 1,250 employees. CNBC says it is the latest indication of employee upheaval at the company, which has struggled to maintain high morale among its workforce following "embarrassing product rollouts, worker protests sparked by controversial enterprise contracts, and continued rounds of layoffs that stretch back to 2023 and are expected to continue." 
WORKFORCE
Weekly jobless claims decline more than expected
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week in a sign that the labor market remains strong. The Labor Department reported that applications fell 16,000 in the seven days to January 25th, well below the 220,000 claims expected by economists polled by Reuters. The four-week moving average dipped 1,000 to 212,500 while continuing claims, reported with a one-week lag, were down 42,000 to 1.858m. "Initial claims surprised to the downside in the week ended January 25, as the recent increase in claims in California likely related to the fires in Los Angeles was largely reversed," said Nancy Vanden Houten, Lead U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics. The jobless claims data continue to be consistent with a labor market characterized by low layoffs and a slow pace of hiring," she noted, adding: "Despite the low hiring rate, the Fed thinks the labor market is healthy enough to withstand a slower pace of rate cuts, lending some risk to our forecast for three cuts this year."
STRATEGY
Amazon cuts jobs in corporate teams
Amazon has initiated further layoffs as part of its ongoing efforts to streamline operations. Recently, the company announced job cuts in its communications and corporate responsibility department, following a previous reduction of 200 positions in its stores division. Additionally, Amazon is closing all seven warehouses in Quebec, resulting in 1,700 job losses. Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said: “We regularly review our organization's structures to ensure we're best set up to innovate and deliver results efficiently.” CEO Andy Jassy has been focused on reducing headcount and bureaucracy, with significant layoffs occurring in 2022 and 2023, totalling at least 27,000 employees. The company is also encouraging some employees to relocate and has implemented a new five-day office work requirement. Laid-off employees will receive 60 days of pay and benefits, along with severance.
Nissan is offering buyouts to U.S. workers and cutting back shifts
Nissan Motor is offering buyouts to employees and reducing shifts at three U.S. factories as the automaker aims to cut $2.6bn in global costs. A Nissan spokesperson declined to say how many U.S. workers the company hopes will take the voluntary buyout offer. Nissan could potentially cut up to around 1,500 jobs with the move, the Nikkei newspaper reported earlier on Thursday. The latest move follows a broader strategy to cut 9,000 jobs worldwide amid declining sales in key markets.
Kohl's slashes workforce to boost profits
Kohl's has announced a reduction of nearly 10% in its corporate workforce as part of a strategy to enhance profitability. The department store chain is taking these measures to streamline operations and improve its financial performance. "More than half of the reductions came from closing open positions. The remainder of the positions were held by Kohl's corporate associates," according to a statement from Kohl's. About 4,000 people work at the headquarters, so the cut amounts to about 400 positions, jobs that were filled or unfilled. The layoffs follow Kohl's announcement earlier this month to close 27 underperforming stores by April as well as an e-commerce warehouse facility in San Bernardino, California. 
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Activists rally for Target boycott
Civil rights activists gathered outside Target Corp.'s headquarters in Minneapolis to announce a national boycott in response to the company's decision to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The boycott, set to begin on the first day of Black History Month, aims to hold Target accountable for its retreat from supporting racial equity. Activists encouraged consumers to support Black-owned businesses directly instead of shopping at Target.
CORPORATE
KPMG's bid to practice law in U.S. is on hold
The Arizona Supreme Court has decided to delay its decision regarding KPMG Law U.S., a subsidiary of the Big Four accounting firm KPMG, which is seeking to operate as a law firm in Arizona. Despite a unanimous recommendation from a high court committee to approve the application, the justices expressed a desire for further review and information gathering.  “The KPMG application remains under review,” said Alberto Rodriguez, the court’s communications director. He added that there are “no specifics or timeframe” on when a final ruling will be made.

 
Law
HIRING
FDIC faces staffing crisis amid freeze
A federal hiring freeze has severely impacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), leading to the withdrawal of job offers to over 200 new examiners. The FDIC is already grappling with a staffing shortage, which has compromised its ability to mitigate the risk of bank failures.
INTERNATIONAL
Most Indian workers plan to prioritize family In 2025
Four-fifths (78%) of employees in India say they aim to prioritize family time over career advancement in 2025, according to a report by job site Indeed which looks at workers' aspirations for the year ahead in key Asia Pacific markets including India, Singapore, Australia, and Japan. Employees want less stress and a greater focus on mental well-being while enjoying well-paid jobs which offer flexibility for family and personal interests, the report finds. “We’re definitely seeing a shift in what matters to Indian workers," observes Rachael Townsley, Marketing Director (Australia, India and Singapore) at Indeed. "More and more, people are telling us they want to find a better balance between work and home life. While earning more is important, the dream career for most isn’t about moving up the ladder - it’s about feeling secure, being paid fairly, and having benefits that actually make a difference. It’s a reminder that creating workplaces where people feel supported in both their work and personal lives isn’t just nice to have - it’s essential for helping people thrive," Townsley added.
Workplace tech divides the generations in Australia
A new report from monday.com has highlighted significant generational divides in workplace attitudes and technology adoption. The survey of 3,700 employees across multiple countries, revealed that only 13% of Gen Z plan to stay with their current employer for a decade, compared to 36% of Gen X. Additionally, 49% of millennials are open to AI, while Gen Z shows slower adoption rates, with 42% expressing concerns that AI may eliminate enjoyable job aspects. Dean Swan, vice president of monday.com, commented: “AI is undeniably transforming the way we work in Australia, and as our report highlights, there's a generational gap that we need to address.” The report also indicates that 81% of Australian respondents are motivated by company success, trailing behind Brazil's 93%. Only the U.K. is lower at 79%. 
McDonald’s Hong Kong says worker was sacked for sharing sensitive information online
McDonald’s Hong Kong has rebuffed claims made by Luke Ching Chin-wai, a 53-year-old Hong Kong artist known for advocating labor rights, who said he was sacked for violating the fast food chain’s social media rules after he called for employees to be paid for their meal times. The chain said a part-time worker, which it did not identify, had repeatedly violated its policies by sharing internal operational and commercial information on public platforms.
OTHER
Google adheres to Gulf of America executive order
Google says it will update its maps and products in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order that changed the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” as part of the President’s drive to change certain geographic names to “honor American greatness.” Google said: “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
 


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