Human Times

European Edition

12th March 2026

Together with

THE HOT STORY

Two-day pilots' strike at Lufthansa begins

Lufthansa faces a two-day pilot walkout starting today, affecting flights operated by the flagship airline and also its cargo carrier departing from German airports. The strike action follows a one-day walkout in February that led to almost 800 canceled flights and affected about 100,000 passengers. Negotiations over pilots’ pensions and a new collective wage agreement for cockpit staff are the focus of the dispute. “A strike is always a last resort for us and not an end in itself,” said Vereinigung Cockpit union President Andreas Pinheiro. “Employers still have the opportunity to avert industrial action by making a negotiable offer.”

Bloomberg

EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING & LEARNING EVENT

The Training & Development Summit provides an invaluable opportunity for senior professionals responsible for their organisation’s learning & development requirements and forward-thinking suppliers.

15th & 16th June 2026 – Radisson hotel & conference centre, London Heathrow

For buyers, attendance is complimentary and includes:

A personalised itinerary of one-to-one meetings with solution providers
Access to expert-led seminars on the latest trends
Ample networking opportunities throughout the day
Complimentary overnight accommodation meals and refreshments

This summit is the ideal platform to form new business relationships and stay up to date with key industry developments.
Spaces are limited, secure your place today! or contact K.barrett@forumevents.co.uk.
_________________________________________________________________________________

For suppliers, the summit offers exclusive access to senior professionals through pre-scheduled, one-to-one meetings in a hassle-free, pre-built stand—an effective way to showcase solutions and build valuable connections. Contact l.rose@forumevents.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY

ABB partners with Nvidia to improve factory robot training

The robotics unit of Swiss-based ABB is teaming up with Nvidia to improve training methods of industrial robots. ABB will use Nvidia's Omniverse libraries of simulated data to make its training environments more realistic by incorporating typical factory floor details such as lighting, shadows, and textures in virtual simulations. ABB Robotics President Marc Segura said that ⁠robots' often-limited information about the world around them can undermine accuracy, repeatability and speed in training scenarios. "The industrial sector ⁠needs physically accurate simulation to bridge the gap between virtual training and the real-world deployment of AI-driven robotics at scale," observed Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at Nvidia.

Reuters

STRATEGY

Porsche to cut jobs amid profit slump

Porsche plans to reduce its workforce following a significant decline in profit, primarily due to a €3.9bn writedown on its electric car strategy. New CEO Michael Leiters said: "The streamlining of the company needs to be sharpened and this will lead to further job reductions." The company, which employs around 40,000 people, aims to cut 3,900 jobs by 2030. Rising competition in China and tariffs in North America have further impacted sales.

DW.com

The Guardian

LEGAL

Harrods still has questions to answer about Fayed abuse

Bloomberg says London luxury department store Harrods is still facing questions related to the serial sexual abuse of women by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Harrods' own investigation, using UK law firm Linklaters and a barrister, into whether staff knew about Fayed’s behaviour is concluding this month - but a separate negotiation with hundreds of women represented by a law firm has no fixed date for conclusion. Meanwhile, a soon-to-be-launched campaign group, Justice For Fayed and Harrods Survivors, will call for more accountability, including potentially a public inquiry.

Bloomberg

Reports to Dutch whistleblowers’ advice line up by 50% in a year

Concerns raised by employees in the Netherlands through the Huis voor Klokkenluiders mediation bureau increased by 50% in 2024, with around 700 individuals seeking assistance. Chairman Cornelis van der Werf noted that 90% of whistleblowers face negative repercussions, such as being moved or dismissed, despite legal protections. He said: "In most cases they’re very conscientious employees who have concerns." The bureau can mediate disputes and offer legal advice but lacks enforcement powers. Plans are underway to enable it to issue reprimands and fines to non-compliant employers.

DutchNews.nl

WORKFORCE

More Luxembourg employers join scheme to find jobs for long-term unemployed

Thirteen new employers have joined the Adem initiative to help reintegrate long-term unemployed individuals into the Luxembourg labour market. This brings the total number of participating employers to 23. The companies, including Auchan and Post Luxembourg, will prioritise candidates registered with Adem, focusing on those facing job-hunting challenges. The programme aims to assist various groups, including young people without qualifications and individuals with disabilities. Labour Minister Marc Spautz has observed that unemployment is rising, with over 21,000 registered jobseekers in January 2026.

Luxembourg Times

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Diversity progress stalls in UK boardrooms

The Parker Review reveals that only 42% of the UK's 50 largest private companies meet the 2027 diversity target for board representation, dropping from 48% in the previous year. While ethnic minority representation in leadership roles has improved, black representation has declined. The report shows ethnic minorities hold 20% of FTSE 100 board positions and 16% of FTSE 250 roles, both record highs. David Tyler, chair of the review, said: "While progress continues, significant further improvement will be required over the next two years." Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "I welcome the progress shown in this report - but progress is not the finish line. There is more to do to ensure our boardrooms truly reflect the talent and diversity of modern Britain."

The Independent

Daily Mail

The Times

INTERNATIONAL

Firms evacuate Dubai financial district amid retaliation fears

Citi, Deloitte, and PwC are among firms that have evacuated offices in Dubai due to threats from Iran against US and Israeli economic assets. The evacuations occurred in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) as Iran's military warned of potential attacks on banks and economic targets. PwC will close its offices in the UAE and other Gulf states for the week as a precaution. Iran's central operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said "the enemy has given us free rein to target economic centres and banks belonging to the US and the Zionist regime."

Gulf Times

US immigration crackdown fails to boost jobs, data suggests

One year into President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, evidence suggests that closed borders are not improving employment opportunities for US-born workers. Researchers from the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution estimate that net migration may have been negative in 2025 for the first time in at least 50 years, a situation coinciding with rising joblessness among native-born individuals. “Look at what we're seeing: The US-born unemployment rate has been going up. The US-born labour force participation rate has dropped,” said Mark Regets, a senior fellow at non-partisan research organisation the National Foundation for American Policy. “So if we've had a big withdrawal of immigrants from the labour force, we don't see any sign of the US-born workers getting more employment because of that.”

Los Angeles Times

Workers at Glencore's Australian copper refinery threaten to strike

Workers are set to strike at Glencore’s Australian copper plant after failing to reach an agreement in a pay dispute. The Australian Workers’ Union has notified Glencore that employees would walk off the job from Friday if the company did not offer higher wages for the staff at the refinery in Townsville, Queensland, which produces up to 300,000 tons of finished copper each year. Glencore pays staff almost 15% less than at nearby plants. A final meeting is to be convened between Glencore and the union on Thursday.

Bloomberg

China turns to AI to create new jobs and upgrade traditional roles

China is focusing on stabilising employment as 12.7m graduates enter the workforce in 2026 by harnessing AI for job creation. Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping assured the public that stabilising employment is a key priority for Beijing. “We are studying related policies to actively harness AI in creating new jobs and empowering traditional jobs, promoting inclusive development in which technological progress and improvements in people's livelihoods advance in tandem,” she said, adding: “We have the confidence and the capability to maintain overall employment stability and continue improving the situation.”

Straits Times

OTHER

Brain cells are running data centres in Singapore and Melbourne

Australia-based biotech startup Cortical Labs is working on two small data centres run by human brain cells. The experiment could one day challenge the use of semiconductors from the likes of Nvidia. The company is building facilities in Melbourne and Singapore to house its biological computers, known as CL1 units, which consume a fraction of the power used by conventional AI processors. The computing capacity of Cortical Labs’ systems is modest, but the company has so far taught its brain cells to play the computer game Doom.

Bloomberg

The Human Times is designed to help you stay ahead, spark ideas and support innovation, learning and development in your organisation.

The links under articles indicate original news sources. Some links lead directly to the source material. Others lead to paywalls where you may need a subscription. A third category are restricted by copyright rules.

For reaction and insights on any stories covered in the Human Times, join the discussion by becoming a member of our LinkedIn Group or Business Page, or follow us on X.

Online

Advertise

This e-mail has been sent to [[EMAIL_TO]]

Click here to unsubscribe