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Recent Editions
Human Times
North America
The U.S. Labor Department is to suspend Microsoft and Adobe from its Permanent Labor Certification, which allows companies to hire foreign workers to work permanently in the U.S., amid allegations of fraud. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said IT contractors Cognizant, Infosys, Capgemini, Tata, Wipro and HCL were also suspended from the program. The move came as the White House increases pressure on companies to hire more Americans. “There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused this system more than Microsoft,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said at a news conference on Thursday. “Now, our message to Microsoft and to any other foreign or domestic corporation is quite simple,” he added. “We obviously want you to thrive in the United States of America . . . We want people to invest in the United States of America, particularly the American technology sector. We are the biggest boosters of your industry. We want you to continue to grow and to employ a lot of people, but we want you to employ American workers.” Microsoft responded to Vance’s claims in a blog post, saying that “80 percent of the visas were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees.”
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Human Times
UK
Andy Burnham is today expected to commit to a full or partial ban on non-compete clauses in workers' employment contracts, according to people familiar with the matter. More than 20 tech founders wrote to the prime minister last month to say that such restrictions, and also long notice periods and enforced gardening leave, were “undermin[ing] the innovation that drives economic growth.” The government of Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, had previously set out options to limit the use of non-compete clauses.
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Human Times
Europe
A meeting organised by the Airlines for Europe lobby group in Brussels has heard that the aviation industry must accept that there is “no absolute safety and security” to deter cockpit attacks such as the one that occurred during a recent FlyDubai flight, even with stringent vetting of pilots. Deutsche Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr stressed the need to maintain a delicate balance between protecting passengers and ensuring employee privacy. “We have to face the fact that there is no absolute safety and security in this industry,” he said. “This is a very difficult area for regulators.” IAG chief executive Luis Gallego noted a decline over time in the number of dangerous situations involving pilots. “After [the FlyDubai] incident, in the same way we did in the past, we are going to work closely with the authorities to try to see if there is a way to continue to improve this,” he said.
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Human Times
Middle East
Mnzil, The Development Group and Capital Partners have launched a SAR1bn fund to develop purpose-built workforce compounds accommodating up to 50,000 workers across Saudi Arabia. Mnzil will operate the portfolio, TDG will oversee site selection, design and development, and Capital Partners will manage the fund. Development is expected to begin in Q4 2026 across major employment centres including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Khobar, Makkah and Madinah. Compounds will include furnished rooms, recreational facilities, communal areas and on-site services, with locations chosen to reduce commuting. Mnzil chief executive Majeed Albabtain said, “Improving workers' lives is a collective effort.” The partners see the model as supporting Vision 2030 while establishing workforce housing as a scalable institutional real estate asset class backed by employer demand and long-term leases.
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