THE HOT STORY

French government announces emergency cybersecurity measures after tax data breaches

The French government has apologised and announced emergency cybersecurity measures after a major attack compromised tax information belonging to individuals and businesses, as well as land registry data, exposing weaknesses in aging state IT systems. The Finance Ministry plans to introduce two-factor authentication for all tax administration staff by year-end, strengthen access controls, overhaul threat detection, expand cybersecurity training and phishing awareness, increase bug bounty programs, and deploy AI tools to identify vulnerabilities and recommend fixes. An audit of the attack and France’s cybersecurity standards is due to be published in September. The response has faced criticism from opposition politicians and public-sector unions, which have called for greater investment and scrutiny of the government’s handling of the incident. The controversy intensified after officials disclosed a third breach involving inheritance-related data, although it is considered less serious than the earlier attacks.

Le Monde

WORKFORCE

UK employers raise pay by least in 10 months

The median pay award by UK employers fell to 3.2% in the three months to the end of July, down from 3.3% in the ⁠previous three rolling quarters, according to human resources data firm Brightmine. More than a third (35%) of settlements were lower than last year, for the same employee group; 35% were unchanged and 30% were higher. "The fact that more than a third of matched pay awards are now lower than last year does suggest some employers are becoming more cautious," observed Sheila Attwood, the firm's HR insights and data lead. The most common award value was 3%.

Reuters

Posti workers at Helsinki logistics hub go on strike

Posti workers at the Pasila Postal Center in Helsinki have staged a walkout due to ongoing workforce reduction negotiations. Chief shop steward Filip Djordjevic reported that over 80% of the evening shift participated, significantly impacting postal services across Finland. The negotiations affect 637 workers, with potential job cuts of up to 50. Djordjevic said: "This has crossed a line for workers and directly targets staff who have delivered results." The union questioned the timing of the negotiations following Posti's recent profit announcement. Production director Mikko Hoikkala cited changes in the operating environment as justification.

YLE Uutiset

Schiphol security workers to strike over workload

Schiphol security workers are set to launch brief strikes and work-to-rule actions. Unions, including FNV and CNV, have expressed concerns over heavy workloads. CNV negotiator André Quist said: "Security staff have truly reached their limit now." The unions says they will reveal strike timings shortly before actions commence. Schiphol acknowledged the situation but expressed disappointment over the unions' decision.

NL Times

TECHNOLOGY

Half of Finns fear AI will lead to mass unemployment

Just over half (51%) of people in Finland are worried that the growing influence of AI in the workplace will precipitate mass joblessness, according to a poll by Finnish research company Taloustutkimus. The survey also found that the demographic most concerned about the impact of the technology on employment are those under the age of 35. Nevertheless, specialists interviewed by Yle argue that fears about mass unemployment are unfounded, at least in the short and medium term. "There are no signs of it, and economic research gives no reason to assume that this would happen," Finnish economist Ari Hyytinen said.

YLE Uutiset

ECONOMY

Putin pledges help for Wildberries warehouses hit by Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to establish a programme to help rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian attacks, after drone strikes targeted at least two dozen facilities belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries since July 18th. The attacks have caused explosions and fires that have destroyed a significant portion of the retailer’s storage capacity. Mr Putin said damaged logistics facilities should be rebuilt with state involvement and upgraded to a higher technological standard. He acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes on Russian industrial and infrastructure sites were causing economic damage but said they had not resulted in “critical consequences”, adding that the economy continued to grow modestly despite the attacks and Western sanctions. Ukraine says its strikes are intended to increase the economic cost to Russia of continuing the war.

Financial Times

Reuters

UK finally showing signs of productivity boost, say economists

Morgan Stanley analysts have identified nascent signs of tech-driven improvements in UK productivity growth. If sustained, it could boost incomes and ease some of the strains on Britain’s public finances.

Financial Times

RISK

Europe's heatwaves expose insurance gap

Reuters reports that extreme heat often falls outside traditional business interruption insurance, exposing a growing protection gap for companies across Europe. Last summer's European heatwaves cost €43bn in lost economic output while generating only about €500m of insured payouts, according to Moody's estimates. "Heat in itself is not a traditionally insured risk," observes Swenja Surminski, managing director for climate and sustainability at Marsh. "Extreme heat rarely causes catastrophic physical damage the way a flood or a storm does, but the financial operational disruption that it triggers can be just as severe."

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Korea's AI-exposed sectors see sharp decline in youth employment

The Bank of Korea (BOK) has reported a significant decline in youth employment, with 285,000 jobs lost among those aged 15 to 29 from June 2022 to June 2023. The report highlighted that 94% of these losses occurred in sectors heavily influenced by AI, such as IT and publishing. In contrast, employment for those in their 50s increased by 230,000, with 173,000 of the increase coming from AI-exposed sectors. “AI can increase the productivity of young people to a large extent. This also means that AI can replace them,” observed Oh Sam-il, a BOK researcher. “However, we cannot say that AI is entirely behind the reduction in youth employment. Instead, AI is accelerating the trend of the diminishing career ladder for young people.”

Korea Joongang Daily

The Korea Times

Wildcat strike hits Ben Gurion Airport

Israel's aviation sector is under strain due to staffing shortages and ongoing regional conflict. A wildcat strike at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday halted operations for hours, leading to numerous flight cancellations and delays. The workers' union did not formally declare the strike, but airport management attributed the disruption to the labour action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by calling for the dismissal of employees involved. The Airports Authority plans to increase staffing but warned that clearing the backlog will take time. "Anyone who obstructs the operations of the airport will be sent home," Netanyahu said.

Daily Sabah

Farmers in Japan adapt to deadly heatwaves

As heatwaves intensify, Japanese farmers are shifting their work hours to the night to protect their crops, their livestock - and themselves. Motoaki Iijima, a flower farmer, now harvests gerberas after dark to avoid extreme daytime temperatures that can exceed 40°C. He said: "The hours around dusk are really precious. That's when we can be outside . . . We've gradually become nocturnal. It's about protecting our bodies, and ultimately, our lives." The trend is not unique to Japan; farmers globally are adapting to similar conditions. In 2024, Japan recorded 59 agricultural worker deaths due to heat.

Yahoo News Australia

OTHER

US regulator approves first drug to treat a cause of narcolepsy

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Orzeyful, or oveporexton, a new treatment for narcolepsy, which affects about 200,000 people in the US and 3m globally. The drug targets the orexin pathway, which is crucial for regulating sleep and wake cycles. Takeda, the drug's developer, conducted studies with over 270 participants, which demonstrated improved daytime alertness and reduced cataplexy episodes. Takeda CEO Julie Kim noted that Orzeyful could pave the way for treatments for other sleep disorders. The drug is currently under review for potential addictive properties by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Time.com

The Economist

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