Human Times

European Edition

18th September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Unilever 'won't discuss blanket two-year global worker guarantee'

A memo ‌seen by Reuters indicates that Unilever "refuses to engage" with union body IUF over a request that a two-year employment guarantee agreed with workers in Europe under its planned merger with McCormick be applied to all staff worldwide. "The company refuses to engage ⁠on this at an international level," the IUF stated in the memo, adding: "(Unilever) has indicated that, outside of Europe, unions should negotiate locally or regionally over the two years' protection." A Unilever spokesperson said: "We continue to engage constructively with our works councils and other employee representatives and have made good progress . . . As a global company, we engage with a range of representatives around the world."

Reuters

THE NEW TALENT EQUATION

AI adoption is accelerating, but measurable impact is not.

Organizations worldwide are rapidly adopting AI across Talent Acquisition and workforce planning. Yet while implementation is accelerating, measurable business impact and workforce readiness are struggling to keep pace. New research from Everest Group, based on interviews with senior TA and HR leaders, reveals that many organizations have moved beyond experimentation, but few have successfully translated AI investments into meaningful transformation.

Although AI is already improving efficiency, automating routine tasks, and supporting better decision-making, significant barriers remain. The research explores where organizations are seeing tangible results, why progress often stalls before lasting change is achieved, and how workforce readiness has become a critical factor for success.

Download the report to discover where AI is creating value today, what is preventing organizations from realizing its full potential, and how leading companies are turning AI adoption into measurable business outcomes.

Download the report

CORPORATE

Putin to seize Nestlé and Auchan's Russian assets

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that assets belonging to food company Nestlé and retail group Auchan in Russia be placed under temporary administration. In a decree published on Russia's official legal portal, Putin ordered stakes in the assets to be handed to a little known entity called AO L.E.V. Menedzhment. Moscow has used the temporary-management mechanism since 2023 to take control of assets belonging to companies from countries it considers “unfriendly.” It has previously been used to take control of the Russian subsidiaries of ‌companies including ⁠Danone and Carlsberg. Nestlé, arguing that as a food producer it supplies essential goods, has continued operating in Russia. Auchan operates 230 supermarkets and hypermarkets across Russia.

TECHNOLOGY

UK workers 'spend nearly £1bn of own money on workplace AI'

Research from Deloitte indicates that one in six UK workers is paying for an AI tool out of their own pocket to help them do their job, at a total cost of nearly £1bn ($1.4bn) annually. The firm's GenAI Workforce Survey of some 25,000 employees found that two-thirds of workers had tried AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, and nearly a quarter of them were using the tools daily in their ⁠jobs. Deloitte partner Paul Lee observed: "For many workers [AI's] role remains relatively basic, focused on searching for information and drafting content rather than ⁠supporting more complex work." He added: "The organisations that gain the greatest advantage from AI will be those that move beyond simply providing access ⁠to tools and focus on helping people use them with the appropriate guardrails and purpose."

Reuters

Novo Nordisk partners with Anthropic to speed drug development

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is collaborating with Anthropic to use the AI firm's Claude models to expedite the discovery and development of new medicines. “Joining forces with Anthropic will supercharge our R&D organisation,” said Novo CEO Mike Doustdar, who added that the drugmaker has the ambition to “become the world’s most AI-driven healthcare company.” Doustdar said: “AI tools can . . . offer completely new scientific opportunities and aid reasoning and understanding of human biology and drug mechanics.”

Bloomberg

Reuters

WORKFORCE

Russia employs North Koreans to build drones for Ukraine war

Russia is employing North Korean workers to manufacture military drones, according to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team. The strategy provides North Korea with vital revenue for its weapons programmes in the face of international sanctions. An estimated 25,000 North Koreans are involved in Russia's drone industry, each earning around US$7,500 annually, although much of this is seized by the Kim regime. Monthly wages earned by North Koreans working in Russia may be up to five times higher than what they can earn in China. Russia had an estimated 15,000-30,000 North Korean workers as of the end of 2025. "Despite the 2019 repatriation deadline mandated by [a UN Security Council resolution], at least 17 countries are suspected of continuing to host labourers, generating between $450m and $800m in 2025 to fund the [North Korea's] unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes," the report said.

The Korea Times

South China Morning Post

REMOTE WORKING

Barclays faces growing UK backlash over back-to-office rule reversal

Media outlets pick up on a report which first appeared in the Financial Times yesterday which said that thousands of Barclays employees in the UK have signed an open letter asking the bank to rethink its decision to increase in-office work. As of next month, Barclays wants staff who have been expected to be in the office for two days per week to attend for at least three. The Unite union, which represents 36,000 staff, is calling on Barclays to reverse this mandate and is advocating for exemptions and a one-off payment to cover rising travel and childcare costs. Rick Coyle, Unite national officer, said that employees are delivering strong financial results under the current flexible working policy. He said that Barclays is "trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist" in making its working-from-home rules less flexible. Barclays said office requirements vary by business area and are intended to balance flexibility with the benefits of working together in person. The bank declined to say how many staff would be affected by the rules change, but the BBC understands that there are different rules depending on teams, with, for example, investment bankers expected to be in the office for five days per week.

HIRING

Danish firms cut hires due to AI

A new analysis from Denmark's National Bank reveals that companies adopting AI tend to hire fewer new employees, especially younger staff and those with higher education. Signe Krogstrup, director of the National Bank, noted that these individuals are however still finding work elsewhere due to Denmark's flexible labour market and widespread digitalisation. The analysis indicates that AI usage has not yet impacted salaries or overall employment levels. Krogstrup said: “We can't say for sure that employment will not fall in the long-term, but AI could also support the founding of new companies and new job roles.” Sara Vergo, the chair of Djøf, a Danish trade union and professional association, observed: “Employers must be careful not to saw off the branch they are sitting on. In the short term, it may look attractive to cut junior positions when AI can perform more tasks . . . But tomorrow's experienced specialists and managers can only emerge if companies hire, train and give responsibility to recent graduates today.”

Copenhagen Post

The Local

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Climate change is affecting OSH across the EU

A new discussion paper from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work reviews the effects of climate change on occupational safety and health (OSH) and its unequal impacts on different workforce groups. Findings show that climate change is already affecting OSH across the EU through increased injuries, adverse health outcomes, and productivity losses.

EU-OSHA

INTERNATIONAL

Korean workers take legal action against US over Georgia raid

More than 300 South Korean workers who were detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint venture battery plant in the US state of Georgia have started filing administrative claims with nine federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection, the FBI and the Departments of Justice and Labor. The claims, which are a necessary step before pursuing lawsuits under the Federal Tort Claims Act, allege unlawful detention and poor conditions at an ICE facility. An attorney representing the workers aims to submit all claims by year-end. Both companies have sought to distance themselves from the legal actions. An LG Energy Solution official told The Korea Times the company would not become involved because the legal actions were based on individual decisions by the workers. The raid, which occurred on September 4, 2025, was the largest single-site enforcement action in ICE's history.

Chinadaily US Edition

The Korea Times

Fashion Council leader placed on leave after clash with PETA protesters

Council of Fashion Designers of America chief executive Steven Kolb has been placed on leave pending a review after he was filmed physically restraining animal rights protesters who disrupted a Cos runway show during New York Fashion Week. Six PETA activists took part in the protest against the use of wool. Footage showed Kolb covering the mouths of two protesters as they shouted slogans; PETA said it had filed a police report and was consulting lawyers. Mr Kolb later said he had reacted inappropriately and should have left the situation to security. H&M, Cos’s parent company, said its priority was the safety of guests, models and colleagues. PETA said it hopes to meet with Mr Kolb, adding it will not pursue its initial plan to file a police report and instead hopes to discuss ending the use of wool and animal skins in fashion.

Reuters

US News and World Report

Washington Post

Adidas cuts jobs in India tech team

German sportswear manufacturer Adidas is cutting roles in its technology team in India. "The impact of these changes is less than 20% of our India Technology organisation," the company said. Adidas did not say how many jobs were affected. The company's website indicates that ⁠nearly 650 people worked at its Gurgaon and Chennai ⁠hubs.

Reuters

Schneider Electric spends S$25m to upgrade Tuas logistics hub

French multinational Schneider Electric is investing S$25m to enhance the automation and digital capabilities of its Hub Asia logistics distribution centre in Singapore's Tuas region, aiming for completion by 2027. The upgrades will introduce robotics and artificial intelligence, including a goods-to-person system that automates inventory delivery. The first phase, launched in June, improved productivity by 10%. Schneider plans to develop a team of 26 workers for the new systems, with S$19m allocated for workforce development through 2030. Pradeep Singh, vice-president for planning and logistics in East Asia, emphasised that automation will not eliminate jobs but change their nature.

Business Times SG

OTHER

Vaccine hesitancy stalls measles eradication, Gates says

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose eponymous ‌foundation focuses on global health ‌and the world's poorest people, has said that vaccine hesitancy in wealthy nations has made eradicating measles in such countries a distant goal. He observed that while measles was once nearly eliminated in affluent countries, recent years have seen a resurgence in cases due to declining vaccination rates. Gates nevertheless said that vaccine hesitancy had not spread to lower-income countries, where measles can be ⁠much deadlier. “There's always that concern that ⁠if you have doubters in the US, that becomes a global thing . . . But we haven't seen an increase in vaccine hesitancy in the countries the foundation works in,” he said.

U.S. News

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