Human Times

European Edition

26th March 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Unemployment continues to increase in Finland

Bloomberg reports that Finland has posted another set of "dire" employment market figures, with the European Union's worst joblessness reaching levels previously seen during the first wave of the pandemic. The headline unemployment rate increased to 10.9% in February, the most in almost six years, and the trend jobless rate rose to 10.5%, according to data from Statistics Finland. Youth unemployment was higher than for the overall population, with the trend rate for 15-24-year-olds at 22.9%. The increase in joblessness is partly explained by stricter job-search requirements and changes to social security, said economists at research institute Pellervo Economic Research.

Bloomberg

HIGH-POTENTIAL TALENT

New Research: Identifying High-Potential Talent

Identifying high-potential employees is one of the most important talent decisions organisations make. But many companies still find it difficult to judge who has the potential to succeed in more complex roles.

New research from Talogy shows that 86% of leaders and 91% of HR professionals rely on performance ratings and manager recommendations when identifying high-potential talent.

Based on insights from more than 1,000 leaders and HR professionals worldwide, the research report High Potential, High Impact: Insights to build better programmes explores how organisations define potential, the signals they rely on, and the challenges they face when making these decisions.

Download the executive summary to explore the key findings.

LEGAL

British employers to be required to report ethnicity and disability pay gaps

New draft legislation will require UK employers with more than 250 staff to report any pay disparities between disabled and able-bodied staff and white employees and those from an ethnic minority. The government’s response to the consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, published yesterday, shows widespread support for introducing this legislation. 87% of respondents agreed large employers should report their ethnicity and disability pay gaps to increase transparency and help tackle barriers in the workplace. Seema Malhotra, Minister for Equalities, said: "By introducing ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, this government is committed to ensuring transparency and tackling unfairness where it exists, promoting inclusion in our workplaces and our economy."

Financial Times

GOV.UK

HIRING

Luxembourg struggles to retain foreign workers

A new government-commissioned study finds that Luxembourg continues to attract foreign workers in large numbers - but half of the newcomers leave the country within five years. The research from the Inspection Générale de la Sécurité Sociale (IGSS) – the government body responsible for managing Luxembourg's social security system – draws on more than 20 years of administrative data. “Around 30% of new entrants leave Luxembourg within a year of arriving, and 50% leave within five years,” the study found.

Luxembourg Times

WORKFORCE

Resident doctors in England to begin six-day strike

Resident doctors in England will strike for six days starting 7 April, following the rejection of Health Secretary Wes Streeting's final pay offer. Talks broke down as it emerged doctors were to be given a 3.5% pay rise this year. The increase was recommended by the independent pay review body and accepted by government. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee, said what was on offer would mean further pay erosion given that inflation was set to increase because of global events including the Iran war. "We have been negotiating in good faith for weeks," he said. "We are simply not going to put an offer to doctors that risks locking in further erosion of pay at a time when doctors continue to leave the UK for other countries."

BBC News

The Guardian

ECONOMY

German firms' pessimism deepened even before Gulf conflict

The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, or DIHK, has said that German companies had grown more pessimistic about their business overseas because of trade barriers and growing geopolitical risks even before the commencement of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Volker Treier, DIHK head of foreign trade, is urging companies ⁠to find new markets. "Diversification is no longer a strategic option - it is a necessity," Treier said. "Companies that broaden their markets become more resilient to political risks."

Reuters

Inflation in France to quicken next month

France's national statistics agency Insee forecasts that French inflation will accelerate to match the European Central Bank’s 2% goal in April amid surging oil prices precipitated by the conflict in the Gulf. Insee also trimmed its growth forecasts to 0.2% for the first and second quarters from a prior 0.3%.

Bloomberg

INTERNATIONAL

ABC could use Middle East crisis to order striking staff back

Hugh Marks, the managing director of Australian broadcaster ABC, has said a potential escalation in the Middle East conflict could justify staff being called to return to work during a strike which started at 11am on Wednesday, after he widened the definition of “emergency broadcasting” at the public media corporation. Under the broadcaster's pay agreement with staff, emergency broadcasting is excluded from industrial action, but that had hitherto referred to natural disasters in Australia rather than major news events overseas.

Sydney Morning Herald

Iran-linked hackers step up cyberattacks on Israel

Iran-linked hackers have destroyed the data of over 50 small Israeli companies in the past few weeks and compromised dozens of security cameras, according to Yossi Karadi, the director-general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate. He said most of the targeted companies had existing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and companies with stronger cybersecurity protections weren’t affected. The near-total internet blackout in Iran has not impacted the pace of attacks. “Some of them are using satellite capabilities, but there are also other ways that they can use to continue doing cyberattacks,” Karadi explained.

Bloomberg

Epic Games lays off 1,000 employees

Epic Games, the developer of “Fortnite,” is laying off over 1,000 employees and cutting costs by $500m. Chief Executive Tim Sweeney announced the layoffs, attributing them to a decline in “Fortnite” engagement last year. “Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, we've had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season,” he said. The company has faced industry-wide challenges, including slower growth and tougher cost economics. The State of the Game Industry Report from the Game Developers Conference revealed that about one-third of US video game industry workers were laid off in the past two years. Sweeney aims to focus on enhancing “awesome Fortnite experiences” and improving developer tools moving forward.

The Baltimore Sun

Los Angeles Times

U.S. News

Brazil's new law to protect minors online

Brazil has launched a new law aimed at enhancing online safety for children and teenagers. The Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents requires users under 16 to link their social media accounts to a legal guardian. The legislation prohibits addictive features and mandates robust age verification mechanisms. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said: “Enough of tolerating exploitation, sexual abuse, child pornography, bullying, incitement to violence and self-harm just because it happens in the digital environment.” Guilherme Klafke, a law professor at Getulio Vargas Foundation, a think-tank and university, said the new framework “places more responsibility on those who offer digital products and services that may be accessed by children and adolescents.”

U.S. News

OTHER

Domestic gas supply in several European cities contains high levels of cancer-causing benzene

Domestic gas supply in several European cities contains high levels of cancer-causing benzene, according to research from Stanford University and independent research institute PSE Healthy Energy published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Gas samples taken in UK homes contained 37 times more benzene than North American gas, on average, while concentrations in the Netherlands were 66.5 times higher. The research is the first to reveal the widespread presence of benzene, an odorless substance, in gas in European homes. Researchers found that ventilation while cooking helped lower indoor pollution.

Bloomberg

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