Human Times

European Edition

27th March 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Germany seeks tighter scrutiny of cross-border takeovers

Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil says he wants to force foreign companies to form joint ventures with local businesses to operate within Europe, in a bid to obtain greater scrutiny of cross-border takeovers. The proposals aim to protect German firms in sectors where they “have fallen behind technologically,” according to a finance ministry document. Bloomberg notes the idea would mirror a method already employed in China. “I know these are tough measures and tough demands,” Klingbeil said. “But they are necessary if we are to safeguard technologies and jobs here in Europe.” Klingbeil also called for changes in income tax that he said would deliver several hundred euros a year in relief to 95% of employees. "Anyone who works hard and works more will finally have more money in their pocket as ⁠a result of this reform," he said, adding that higher earners and wealthy asset holders should shoulder more of the burden. The new proposals also seek the abolition of the current income splitting system for married couples, which lowers ‌taxes ⁠for partners with unequal earnings.

Bloomberg

Reuters

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.

HIRING

British Airways offers pilots financial incentive to cut fuel consumption

British Airways is offering its pilots a financial incentive to reduce their aircraft's fuel consumption. Pilots would be required to cut their jets' carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons above 2025 levels to achieve a bonus that could equal 1% of their basic salary, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. The proposal is to be voted on by members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association at the end of April. “Flight crew decisions have a direct and measurable impact on fuel burn and emissions,” states a document sent to BA pilots in the union. “The incentive exists only to recognise and reward fuel efficient behaviours when, and only when, they are compatible with uncompromised safety and sound airmanship.”

Bloomberg

STRATEGY

VW in talks to shift from cars to missile defence

Volkswagen is in talks with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems over a deal that would switch production at one of the German group’s factories from cars to missile defence. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, general manager of the German Federal Association of the Security and Defense Industry, has previously told Deutsche Welle that while the qualifications of car industry workers will often meet the requirements of defence companies, retraining and security clearance requirements may slow the process. "The timelines for issuing these authorisations are currently nowhere near fast enough to enable a rapid transition of the relevant personnel," he told DW last year.

Deutsche Welle

Financial Times

WORKFORCE

We need more plumbers and fewer lawyers in AI era, BlackRock boss says

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has said people's perception of skilled trades must change. The boss of the world's largest asset manager observed that the average plumber had been portrayed on television as being overweight and having their pants hanging below their waistline, while investment bankers are idolised in drama series like Industry. "I think what we did [was] wrong," he said. "We really put judgment on so many jobs and so many people who probably should not have gone into banking or media or law, probably should have been a great worker with their hands, and we need to now rebalance that approach." He told the BBC that, in the US after World War Two, "we built the foundation of education, and we said to all the young people, go to college, go to college, go to college. And we probably overdid it." He added: "We need to balance that out, and we need to be proud that . . . a career can be just as strong in these fields of plumbing and electricians."

BBC News

REMOTE WORKING

SocGen ditches ‘shadow’ trading floors in favour of work from home

Société Générale is offloading backup sites in locations including France and the UK after deciding that investment bankers can work from home if its main facilities are out of action.

Financial Times

TECHNOLOGY

Pony AI and Uber to launch Europe's first robotaxi service in Croatia

Pony AI and Uber have begun testing driverless cars in Croatia. The companies are preparing for a launch “soon” in the Croatian capital Zagreb with autonomous vehicle startup Verne, which will own and operate a fleet of robotaxis equipped with Pony AI’s self-driving technology. Uber said it plans to work with partners to bring robotaxis to more than 10 markets this year, including Munich and the UK, as part of its goal to be the biggest robotaxi platform. Verne has announced its own ambitions to launch a two-seater robotaxi without a steering wheel in 2026, Bloomberg notes.

Bloomberg

Reuters

RISK

Finland shelves plan to move its election platform to AWS

Finland has shelved a plan to move its election platform to Amazon Web Services and will keep its electoral system running on existing local servers until after the April 2027 general election. “In the past just over a year, the international political situation has changed and the Justice Ministry decided to review the question on how to host the election platform,” the Justice Ministry explained. Bloomberg notes fraying European trust in the US.

Bloomberg

LEADERSHIP

Monte dei Paschi revokes chief of powers as he stays on as director

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena’s board of directors has revoked the powers of Luigi Lovaglio, its chief executive, after he sought a new term at ‌the helm of the lender, challenging a decision by the board to rule him out. Lovaglio and the bank's board are in dispute over the CEO's strategy for recently acquired peer Mediobanca. A major MPS shareholder is also opposed to Lovaglio's push to fully merge the two banks. Lovaglio had been pressured by the board to resign, but he will remain as a director until the general meeting on April 15, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

Financial Times

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Carney reprimands Air Canada head for English-only statement

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has reprimanded Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for issuing a video statement in English only following a runway collision at LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots. Air Canada, as a federal government-regulated entity, is subject to the Official Languages Act, and as such it is required to provide equal services in English and French. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said "if [Rousseau] still doesn't speak French, that's disrespectful to his French-speaking employees and customers" and "he should resign." All that Rousseau said in French when he provided an update on the situation in English was “bonjour” at the beginning and “merci” at the end.

Bloomberg

Revolut to shift 40% of its global workforce to India

London-headquartered fintech firm Revolut has said it plans to have around 40% of its global workforce based in India by the end of 2026 as it expands its India global capability centre. The company will fill 1,600 roles in its India centre through 2026, taking its headcount in the country to 5,500 by the end of the year. Jonathan Beaney, Revolut's head of talent acquisition, described India as one of the "deepest and most dynamic talent pools in the world." He said: "Our India tech hub is central to our global scale . . . the technical calibre, ambition and excellence we see here ‌make ⁠India a natural long-term home for Revolut."

Reuters

Tech in Asia

Meta lays off 700 employees

Meta on Wednesday laid off around 700 employees in the Reality Labs unit, as well as some in recruiting, sales and Facebook, according to a person with knowledge of the company. “Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals,” a Meta spokesman said. “Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted.” The New York Times notes that less than 24 hours earlier, Meta has introduced a new stock option incentive programme for senior executives that could deliver payouts worth hundreds of millions of dollars if the company reaches a $9tn market capitalisation by 2031.

New York Times

The Information

Australia at ‘sliding doors’ moment on its AI future

Australia has a narrow window to position itself as a regional hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to a study by Deloitte Access Economics. “This is a sliding doors moment for Australia,” lead author John O’Mahony said. He estimates the country needs about A$52bn ($3bn) in digital infrastructure investment by 2030 to ensure its advantage. “A failure to seize this opportunity would represent a generational economic fumble,” O’Mahony added.

Bloomberg

OTHER

New UK guidelines limit screen time for under-fives

New UK government guidelines recommend that children under five should have a maximum of one hour of screen time daily, while children under two should not use screens alone. Parents are encouraged to engage in screen time together and partake in "screen swaps" for activities like reading. The guidance is based on evidence linking excessive solo screen use to negative impacts on children's sleep and physical activity. Research highlights the essential role of adult engagement in screen time for cognitive development. The guidance also indicates that fast-paced content may lead to stress responses in children.

BBC News

London Evening Standard

The Independent UK

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