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17th January 2025
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THE HOT STORY
Outgoing U.S. Attorney General tells employees to stick to 'norms'
In his farewell address, outgoing U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has urged Justice Department employees to remain steadfast in their duties despite facing "unfounded attacks." He emphasized the importance of maintaining the department's independence, saying: "It is the obligation of each of us to follow our norms not only when it is easy, but also when it is hard." He went on to say: "I know that you have faced unfounded attacks simply for doing your jobs, at the very same time you have risked your lives to protect our country from a range of foreign and domestic threats. And I know that a lot is being asked of you right now . . . But before I leave, I have one more thing I want to ask of you. That is to remember who you are, and why you came to work here in the first place." As Garland prepares to step down, concerns loom over the incoming administration's potential impact on judicial independence. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has pledged to uphold the department's integrity. "There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice," Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation."
COMPLIANCE
Jan 1: New year brings 140+ new compliance requirements

Goodbye 2024 and hello 2025! While we can’t predict everything the new year will bring, we can help you and your HR team stay in compliance with the new employment laws that took effect on or around January 1. These new laws – more than 140 in total – affect employers in 20 states and dozens of localities, covering an array of topics from minimum wage to leave to payroll. For a complete list of the new January 1 compliance requirements by state, download our guide and get your organization in compliance today.

Get your organization compliant and prepared for 2025 today.

 
WORKFORCE
Global unemployment to hold steady at 5%, ILO says
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has said global unemployment remained steady last year at an historical low of 5%, where it is set to stay in 2025. However, the ILO said job creation would be limited by a global economic slowdown from 3.3% to around 3.2% last year, and a gradual medium-term deceleration. "The global economy continues to expand at a moderate rate, but it is projected to gradually lose steam, preventing a stronger and more durable labor market recovery," the ILO's flagship report on global employment and social trends said. Meanwhile, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo urged bold action to help address barriers to a thriving labor market. "The world must embrace new approaches to social justice that generate decent work," Houngbo wrote in the report's preface.
Unemployment claims up, but jobs market remain strong
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased by 14,000 to 217,000 in the week ending January 11th, according to the Labor Department. Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 210,000. However, despite this rise, layoffs remain historically low, with the total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits dropping by 18,000 to 1.859m. The four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, dipped by 750 to 212,750. Ryan Sweet, Chief U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics, said the rebound by jobless claims "doesn't raise a red flag," noting: "New filings remain comfortably below our estimate of the breakeven level, or that consistent with no monthly job growth." He added that they "could increase over the next couple of weeks because of the wildfires. Our preliminary estimate is that the wildfires will reduce January nonfarm employment between 20,000 and 25,000."
TECHNOLOGY
Apple is pulling its AI-generated notifications for news
Apple has suspended a new artificial intelligence feature that drew criticism and complaints for making repeated mistakes in its summaries of news headlines. The tech giant had been facing mounting pressure to withdraw the service, which sent notifications that appeared to come from within news organizations' apps. "We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update," an Apple spokesperson said. The feature had inaccurately summarized headlines from the BBC, the New York Times and the Washington Post, according to reports from journalists and others on social media. The BBC had complained to Apple about the technology after it created false headlines stating that Luigi Mangione, who is charged with the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, had shot himself. CNN notes that this week, the Apple feature incorrectly summarized a Washington Post notification, stating falsely: “Pete Hegseth fired; Trump tariffs impact inflation; Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio confirmed.” None of these statements are true.
STRATEGY
BP to cut 4,700 jobs to reduce costs
Oil giant BP is to cut about 4,700 staff, more than 5% of its total workforce, as part of plans to cut costs. The U.K. firm, which has a global workforce of about 90,000 people, confirmed the job losses on Thursday, but has not said how many roles will be affected in each country it operates in. An email to staff also confirmed that about 3,000 contractor positions will be axed this year. It is understood the cuts will be applied to those in office-based jobs rather than operational roles. In an email to staff, chief executive Murray Auchincloss said: "We have got more we need to do through this year, next year and beyond, but we are making strong progress as we position BP to grow as a simpler, more focused, higher-value company." Auchincloss added that he recognized "the uncertainty this brings for everyone whose job may be at risk, and also the effect it can have on colleagues and teams." 
Cold-storage firm announces job cuts
Refrigerated-storage firm Lineage has announced that it is cutting staff, as food manufacturers and retailers working through excess inventories amid reduced demand. The logistics firm, which has counted Kraft Heinz, Darden Restaurants and Walmart among its clients, said: “As part of a comprehensive review of our operations, we have made the difficult decision to reduce certain positions within the company. While this step was not taken lightly, it is essential to protect our long-term success and adaptability.”
Citigroup cuts more jobs
Citigroup is implementing further job cuts this week as part of CEO Jane Fraser's expense management strategy. According to Bloomberg News, managing directors in the wealth and technology sectors are among those leaving. Citi's stock surged 37% in 2024, outperforming the broader banking index, as investors responded positively to Fraser's transformation efforts.
LEGAL
Amex to pay $230m to resolve deceptive marketing allegations
American Express has agreed to pay about $230m to settle criminal and civil probes into alleged deceptive practices in selling credit card and wire transfer products to small business customers. Harry Chavis, a special agent in charge at the Internal Revenue Service's office in New York, said Amex “misled their customers by touting tax breaks that simply didn't exist." Authorities said an internal probe precipitated the termination of approximately 200 employees in 2021, and the products were discontinued later that year. “Financial institutions like American Express have no business pitching inaccurate tax avoidance schemes to sell products and turn a quick profit,” Judy Philips, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said. “This resolution ensures that American Express will be held financially accountable for the unacceptable conduct of its sales employees in misrepresenting the tax benefits of these products. ”
PURPOSE
Has corporate purpose lost its purpose?
Writing for the FT, Stefan Stern considers ongoing research which suggests that following a drive to articulate company-wide purpose, employee engagement may go up, but actual staff retention does not.
CORPORATE
Starbucks director Hobson to leave board after two-decade tenure
Starbucks has announced that lead independent director Mellody Hobson will not be seeking reelection to the board, drawing a line under a two-decade spell with the firm. Ms. Hobson, who joined the company in 2005, previously served as the chairwoman of Starbucks from March 2021 to September 2024, making her the only African American woman to chair a Fortune 500 company at the time of her appointment.
INTERNATIONAL
What's the secret to Denmark's happy work-life balance?
BBC News looks at why Denmark is consistently among the top five countries in the world for work-life balance rankings. Only 1.1% of Danes have to work 50 or more hours a week, according to the most recent global figures from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). That's a significantly lower proportion than the world average of 10.2%. By contrast, the figure for the U.K. is 10.8%, and the U.S. is 10.4%. Meik Wiking, author of the book The Art of Danish Living, and who is also the boss of Danish think tank The Happiness Research Institute, identifies several policies that he believes help generate a strong work-life balance in Denmark, including the right to a minimum five weeks of paid vacation per year, in addition to public holidays. Denmark also offers a very generous six months of paid maternity and paternity leave. Janine Leschke, a professor in the department of management, society and communication at the Copenhagen Business School, says Denmark is definitely "not a work culture where you have to show up and be available all day, all evening, to show that you're working hard all the time."
Norway finds Air France seating policy discriminatory
Norway's anti-discrimination tribunal, Diskimineringsnemnda, has ruled that Air France's policy of not seating men next to unaccompanied children is discriminatory. The case arose when Dominique Sellier was asked to change seats on a flight from Oslo to Paris in October 2022. He filed a complaint. Air France defended its policy by citing that men are involved in 97.93% of suspected sex crimes, and argued it was necessary to protect minors from potential threats. Sellier said Air France's generalization about men went too far. "How can we accept this kind of suspicion because we belong to the male gender?" Although he won his case before Diskimineringsnemnda, which was made up of three legal experts, Sellier said he had received no damages nor an apology from Air France.
Paw-sitive change: pet care leave on the rise
In Singapore, pet care leave is an emerging trend among local companies, Straits Times reports. Public relations and marketing agency Brave Communications is leading the way by offering eight days of leave for employees to care for their pets. Trisha Lim, a public relations manager, expressed her gratitude, saying: “We are glad that there are bosses out there who are supportive and understanding about the stress and anxiety that pet owners go through.” Emilyn Ang, the founder of Brave Communications, introduced the policy after experiencing the challenges of caring for her own pet. Although pet care leave is still rare, firms including Mars and TBWA are beginning to adopt similar policies as they recognise the importance of supporting employees' mental health and well-being.
OTHER
Nicotine limits for cigarettes proposed by FDA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a significant rule to cap nicotine levels in cigarettes, aiming to reduce addiction and help nearly 13m smokers quit within a year. The initiative, supported by antismoking advocates, is unlikely to be enacted soon due to the transition of presidential administrations. President-elect Donald Trump and health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have not commented on the proposal, which could face legal challenges from tobacco companies including Reynolds American and Altria. The FDA's analysis suggests that limiting nicotine could prevent 48m young people from starting to smoke. The idea of limiting nicotine has its roots in sweeping powers given to the FDA by Congress in 2009 to regulate the tobacco industry. But the FDA's efforts on nicotine and a host of other tobacco measures — such as adding graphic warning labels to cigarette packs — have been hampered for years by tobacco industry lawsuits.
 


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