THE HOT STORY

UK hiring falls amid increased demand for AI skills

UK hiring declined in the first half of 2026, with job postings down 11% since the start of the year and 32% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Indeed. Graduate vacancies fell to their lowest level for this point in the year since 2020, while summer job postings hit a four-year low, highlighting ongoing challenges for younger workers. Advertised wage growth also slowed to 3.9%, the weakest since early 2022. Meanwhile, the data shows that demand for AI skills reached a record high, with AI-related tools mentioned in 9.4% of UK job adverts. "The UK's labour market is under sustained pressure. Hiring demand is falling across most parts of the economy, while posted wage growth is gradually cooling," ⁠Indeed senior economist Jack Kennedy said.

Reuters

WORKFORCE

Working past retirement age becomes norm in Dutch labour agreements

Working beyond the state pension age of 67 is increasingly common in Dutch collective labour agreements, with 11 out of 214 agreements in 2026 allowing this. The shift is driven by staff shortages and an ageing population, according to Jannes van der Velde from the employers' association AWVN. The tight labour market “explains basically everything,” Van der Velde said. “Employers look: how valuable are these people still?” Older workers are often used as coaches for new colleagues, and high workloads at many companies frequently leave proper onboarding neglected.

NL Times

SAS employees reject deal and announce strike

Cabin crew at SAS's Norwegian branch have rejected a new collective agreement proposal. If a resolution is not reached soon, approximately 500 staff members will commence a strike at 04:00 on Saturday. The trade union Fellesforbundet said that the negotiations focus on issues such as pay and unpredictable working hours. "We need a fair agreement," a union representative said.

Copenhagen Post

TECHNOLOGY

Consultants' clients are wary of AI-generated reports

A survey of nearly 3,900 companies by Source Global Research has found widespread scepticism about AI in consulting, with 70% of clients saying they would not trust a report prepared using AI and 32% saying its use would undermine their confidence in a consultancy. Clients with direct experience of AI tools were even more negative, with 77% viewing AI as a bubble compared with 55% of those without such exposure. More than three-quarters of UK consulting firms are using AI to carry out work, according to a survey by the Management Consultancies Association, while the Big Four of Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC have significantly cut back their graduate recruitment schemes as they invest billions in AI technology.

The Daily Telegraph

LEGAL

UBS fined $125m by US regulators for money laundering violations

US regulators have fined UBS a record $125m over the Swiss bank's failure to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls despite being sanctioned for similar shortcomings in 2018. The US Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said UBS Financial Services (UBSFS) admitted to willfully violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to implement and maintain an anti-money ⁠laundering program and by failing to file suspicious activity reports. The settlement - the largest civil fine ever against a broker-dealer for violating the main US anti-money laundering law - resolved related accusations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. "Today’s historic action against UBSFS should send a clear message that recidivist financial institutions will face severe repercussions,” FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said.

Financial Times

Reuters

CYBERSECURITY

Massive data breach exposes police officers in UK

More than 100,000 UK police officers' details have been leaked on the dark web following a security breach. Hackers also compromised data belonging to the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office, National Crime Agency, and Crown Prosecution Service. Tiff Lynch, chair of the Police Federation, said the breach "raises serious concerns for officer and staff safety. At a time when cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, [the police] and its partners must be properly funded to ensure the strongest possible cyber security protections are in place to safeguard sensitive personal data." The cybercriminal group ExfilSquad is believed to be responsible for the breach, having previously targeted other government departments. "Unfortunately government organisations are being seen as softer targets because they have not invested enough to properly protect private information," said Jake Moore, global security adviser at Eset, Europe's leading cybersecurity company.

The Times

RISK

Bordeaux wineries at risk from ‘zombie fires’

Bordeaux's wine industry is on high alert as persistent "zombie fires" near the city threaten vineyards just weeks before harvest, with producers fearing not only damage from flames but also smoke taint, which can permanently affect grape quality and wine flavour. Although authorities say the Gironde wildfire is no longer expanding, firefighters continue to tackle flare-ups. The fires add to mounting pressures on French winemakers from climate change, following years of rising temperatures, lower yields and changing consumer habits. Weak demand has led to the removal of around 21,000 hectares of vineyards in the Gironde since 2023, while the Liv-ex Bordeaux 500 fine wine index has fallen by nearly 20% over the past five years, highlighting the increasing challenges facing one of the world's most prestigious wine-producing regions.

Euronews

Financial Times

Wildberries warehouse hit by drone attack as operations rerouted

Russian online retailer Wildberries said yesterday morning that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at one of its warehouses in Russia's Vladimir region, with employees safely evacuated and logistics operations redirected to other facilities to minimise disruption to deliveries. Regional authorities said one man suffered a non-life-threatening head injury and a nearby resident sustained a minor leg injury, while firefighters continued to tackle the blaze. Wildberries said its warehouses have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks.

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

AI startup guaranteed job interviews for people getting a tattoo

The co-founder of AI startup LemonLime has apologised after offering instant job interviews to networking event attendees who agreed to get inked with a company logo. Jordan Zietz, posting on LinkedIn, said the idea was to “meet exceptional people, and find out which of them are just as crazy as we are,” adding that he had brought a tattoo artist along to the event. Seven people, he wrote, took him up on the offer. The Wall Street Journal reports that “online outrage erupted almost instantly.” Mark Pincus, the former CEO of game company Zynga, observed: “It’s novel, but I don’t like it . . . You’re asking somebody to get the tattoo before we even know if we’re going to hire them - that’s not OK.”

Wall Street Journal

OTHER

South Korea’s ‘dopamine apps’ offer shopping without spending

A growing number of South Koreans are turning to so-called "dopamine apps" that recreate the experience of online shopping or ordering food without requiring payment or delivering any products, as younger consumers seek low-cost ways to satisfy spending urges amid rising living costs. Apps such as FoodNeverArrives allow users to browse menus, place virtual orders and track deliveries that never arrive, while mock shopping websites offer fictional products and other platforms simulate experiences such as cigarette breaks. Commentators say the trend reflects financial pressures, including high youth unemployment and inflation, as well as growing economic uncertainty, although privacy experts have warned users to consider how these apps handle personal data.

AFR

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