THE HOT STORY

Flexible jobs continue to outpace permanent roles, Adecco says

Staffing group Adecco has said temporary hires outpaced permanent recruitment in the first quarter. Adecco chief executive Denis Machuel said: "It's linked to ⁠the uncertainty and explains also why flexible placement is quite active, because the overall economy is pretty good." He observed that most of the group's clients "don't dare" to recruit on a permanent basis but the work needs to be done. Spain, Latin America and Asia Pacific were the markets where permanent recruitment bucked the trend, Machuel said.

Reuters

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LEGAL

UAE clarifies rules for workers switching jobs after employment contract ends

The UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has clarified rules for workers wishing to switch jobs after their employment contracts end. Workers can transfer to a new employer if their contract expires or if both parties agree to terminate it. However, leaving during the probation period without notice may result in a one-year ban on obtaining a new work permit. Workers can remain in the UAE during a legally specified grace period to secure new employment or complete departure procedures. The ministry also warned against participating in random work stoppages, which could lead to legal consequences.

Gulfnews.com

WORKFORCE

Omani workforce in private sector increases 8.8%

Omani employment increased by 4.2% year-on-year to 893,164 as of March 2026, driven mainly by the private sector, which saw an 8.8% rise to 436,098. The private sector now represents 48.8% of total Omani employment. Government jobs grew modestly by 1.4% to 393,576, while family-based and communal employment fell by 7.1% and 6.9%, respectively. The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) noted that all governorates reported growth, with Muscat leading at 6.1%. Sales jobs surged by 25.8%, while some sectors, like agriculture, saw declines.

Zawya EN

Dubai government announces Eid Al Adha 2026 holiday dates

The Dubai Government Human Resources Department has announced the holiday dates for Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha. Government employees will enjoy a nine-day break from Monday, May 25, 2026, to Friday, May 29, 2026, with regular work resuming on June 1, 2026. However, employees in shift work or public service roles will continue working as required.

Khaleej Times Online

STRATEGY

LinkedIn plans to lay off 5% of staff

LinkedIn plans to lay off about 5% of its workforce as part of a reorganisation aimed at focusing on growth areas. The Microsoft-owned platform, which has over 17,500 full-time employees, is responding to broader cuts in the technology sector. Despite a 12% revenue increase in the last quarter, the layoffs are not attributed to artificial intelligence replacing jobs, according to sources familiar with the matter. The specific teams affected by the cuts have not been disclosed.

Zawya EN

TECHNOLOGY

Anthropic expands push into legal sector

Anthropic has introduced 12 new legal practice area-specific plug-ins for its Claude large language model, enhancing its capabilities for in-house counsel and law firms. The plug-ins cover areas including mergers and acquisitions, regulatory matters, and litigation support. Additionally, Claude will integrate with over 20 legal tech companies and Microsoft 365 applications, allowing seamless workflows for legal professionals. Anthropic is also partnering with organisations including Free Law Project to improve access to legal resources, offering discounted services through the Claude for Nonprofits program. “The legal sector is facing mounting pressure to adopt AI, and the firms and in-house teams that move are pulling ahead fast,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Claude is making a deeper push into knowledge work, with the legal sector emerging as one of its most significant and fastest-growing industries.”

Bloomberg Law

Techcrunch

Law

INTERNATIONAL

UK graduates using AI 'misrepresent abilities' for jobs

Two-thirds of UK employers have expressed concern that the overuse of AI in job applications misrepresents the skills of young graduates. The Institute of Student Employers found that 67% of employers worry about AI skewing perceptions of graduates' abilities, up from 48% last year. The institute's annual development survey report said: "As AI tools become more widely available employers appear increasingly concerned about whether candidates' applications, assessments or interview responses fully reflect their individual skills and capabilities. This raises broader questions about the reliability of traditional selection methods and highlights the need for organisations to adapt recruitment processes to account for the growing use of generative AI." Employers also noted "readiness gaps" in graduates in their motivation and self-awareness, as well as wider contextual understanding, planning and organisational abilities.

The Times

Nigerian graduates struggle to secure employment

The British Council Nigeria has raised concerns about the high unemployment rate among the West African country's university graduates. Nearly 80% are struggling to find employment due to skills gaps. During a visit to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Council presented an Entrepreneurship Toolkit aimed at enhancing entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities. Mr Chikodi Onyemerela, director of programmes, emphasised the need for practical skills integration in education. The NUC's Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, welcomed the initiative, noting that entrepreneurship is now a compulsory course in universities.

Zawya EN

Cloudflare to lay off more than 1,000 workers

California tech company Cloudflare is laying off 20% of its workforce, equating to approximately 1,100 employees, as it adapts to a significant increase in artificial intelligence usage among staff. “The way we work at Cloudflare has fundamentally changed,” chief executive Matthew Prince and chief operating officer Michelle Zatlyn told employees in an e-mail. “We don't just build and sell AI tools and platforms. We are our own most demanding customer.” The email said that in the last three months, its use of AI has increased more than 600%. Employees in various roles in HR, engineering, finance and marketing are running “thousands of AI agent sessions each day to get their work done,” and the company has to be “intentional” as it prepares for the “agentic AI era,” the email said.

Los Angeles Times

Singapore's new workforce agency is 'not a two-headed monster'

Singapore's Manpower Minister Tan See Leng says the country's new Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) is “not a two-headed monster” but a “two-horse chariot” pulling in the same direction and charging ahead. His remarks were made after Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru voiced concerns over the risk of fragmented leadership and conflicting priorities in the new agency, observing that it will come under the auspices of both the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Education (MOE). Dr Tan said the arrangement whereby MOM will serve as the parent ministry of SWDA, with joint oversight from MOE, will ensure institutes of higher learning are closely aligned with the workforce agenda, so ensuring that skills development is pursued in a “coherent way.”

Straits Times

OTHER

Abu Dhabi to host inaugural Global Sustainable Security Summit

Abu Dhabi will host the inaugural Abu Dhabi Global Sustainable Security Summit from May 19 to 21, 2026, at the ADNEC Centre. Organised by the Ministry of Interior and Rabdan Academy, the summit aims to enhance international cooperation in security. Major General Dr Ahmed Naser Al Raisi said: “The summit reflects the UAE’s vision to strengthen international cooperation and adopt a proactive approach to evolving security challenges.” The event will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops, focusing on topics like technology-driven governance and the future of policing.

Trade Arabia

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