Human Times

European Edition

21st September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Apple stores in Italy hit by strikes

Apple Retail Italia staff staged a national strike during the launch of the new iPhones on Friday, with unions reporting 70% average participation across more than 1,600 employees in 17 stores. Unions are demanding higher staffing levels, manageable workloads, more permanent contracts and greater recognition of employees’ contributions. Apple said its stores were operating normally and defended its pay, benefits and staff support programmes.

Il Sole

Reuters

THE NEW TALENT EQUATION

Why Augmentation Is Outperforming Automation

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STRATEGY

Porsche could face further 4,100 job cuts

Porsche could face around 4,100 additional job cuts under Volkswagen’s restructuring plans, Handelsblatt has reported. The proposed reductions, aimed at addressing a €700m overhead shortfall, would come on top of existing agreements to cut around 9,000 positions by 2035. Volkswagen can recommend but not impose the measures at Porsche.

Reuters

Bosch to close Slovakian plant and move work to Serbia

Bosch plans to close its Bernolákovo factory near Bratislava, which employs 148 people, by March 2027. The company will relocate its alternator remanufacturing operations to Pećinci, Serbia, citing increased competition and price pressures in the global car market. Pavel Roman, head of corporate communications for Bosch in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, said: "Alternator remanufacturing is labour-intensive work in which cost efficiency and competitiveness are decisive factors for success." Bosch said it aims to handle the closure responsibly for affected employees.

The Slovak Spectator

WORKFORCE

UK job market stabilised in August

The UK labour market stabilised in August, with total job postings rising to almost 1.7m, up 10% year on year, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). New postings reached 712,781, although the wider labour market remains subdued, with falling vacancies, weak private-sector wage growth and youth unemployment above 16%. The REC has urged the government to reverse the lower employer National Insurance threshold to support hiring and growth. Maxine Bligh, interim chief executive of the REC, said: "The latest job figures are a clear sign for the Chancellor that the labour market is resilient but needs stimulating to really kick on."

The Times

LEGAL

Former French minister goes on trial in Renault-Nissan corruption case

Rachida Dati, France's former culture minister, is set to stand trial on corruption charges linked to her dealings with the Renault-Nissan group. Dati faces accusations of accepting €900,000 in fees while lobbying for the company during her time as a member of the European Parliament. She denies the allegations and claims she worked solely as a lawyer. "Unfounded allegations of influence peddling in the European Parliament stem from an artificial intellectual construct devised by the prosecution," Dati's lawyers said. If convicted, Dati could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of €450,000. Her co-defendant, Carlos Ghosn, will be tried in absentia; he remains a fugitive in Lebanon.

France 24

The Local

REMUNERATION

UK female workers 'still get lower bonuses than males'

Payroll records analysed by human resources data firm ‌Brightmine indicate the UK's female workers continue to receive substantially lower bonus payments than their male peers. Payroll data for almost 1.5 million employees at 1,190 organisations as of July showed male workers received average annual bonuses of £5,442 ($7,300) compared with £3,062 for women. Sheila Attwood, Brightmine's HR insights and data lead, said the analysis suggests differences in progression, seniority and access to higher-value incentive ⁠schemes

Reuters

ECONOMY

Germany wants EU action against China to protect carmakers

German finance minister Lars Klingbeil has called on the European Union to combat China's "unfair trade practices" to protect the struggling German car industry. Following a visit to Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Klingbeil said: "We cannot when all is said and done be naive in our dealings with China . . . We need a clear signal at a European level." He said Germany would push for "concrete measures" from Brussels. "I am in favour of us standing up to unfair trade practices," Klingbeil said. "Germany needs to have greater self-confidence and adopt a different, more robust approach toward countries that threaten our industry."

France 24

TECHNOLOGY

OpenAI reports new incidents of ‘concerning’ AI behaviour

OpenAI has published six reports detailing unexpected or concerning model behaviour. The incidents include the models generating instructions to get around restrictions imposed on them, hiding mistakes, and fabricating information. The company has also announced a new system to track, investigate and disclose cases of models misbehaving (misalignment). Under the framework, developers will be able to flag incidents for review, and a new set of rules will decide whether the issue is disclosed publicly. "Because we believe in the value of transparency around misalignment, our new framework favours disclosure even when significance is uncertain," OpenAI said.

New York Times

Reuters

BBC News

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Portugal launches project to train 100,000 workers in AI

Portugal's government is to launch a pilot project in Leiria this October to promote AI adoption among companies, targeting 100,000 workers nationwide. Minister of the Economy Castro Almeida said that productivity is “a crucial issue,” and while companies must address the primary challenges themselves, the government can support them in the “fundamental area” of using AI. “There isn't a single large company that isn't conducting massive AI training initiatives for its workforce,” Almeida said. However, the economic landscape in Portugal is made up of very small businesses, averaging three employees per company, “which is extremely low,” making it difficult for these organisations to integrate AI into their production processes, he said.

The Portugal News Online

INTERNATIONAL

HSBC cuts back $48,000-per-child school perk

HSBC is discontinuing its education benefit for new hires and senior staff transferring to Hong Kong as part of a cost-cutting initiative led by chief executive Georges Elhedery. Hong Kong is the bank's only major hub where mid-level staff and above receive a subsidy covering 95% of school fees up to HK$220,000 (S$35,800) annually per child in primary school and HK$300,000 (S$48,800) per child in secondary school. Existing employees at band-three and managing director levels will retain the benefit. A spokesperson said: "We are focused on rewarding our employees fairly and competitively."

Straits Times

Iran hesitant to enforce mandatory headscarf law

The enforcement of hijab rules in Iran has relaxed significantly since the protests that followed the widely-publicised death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a politician and father-in-law of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, recently acknowledged the regime's current reluctance to enforce strict hijab laws, saying: "We can't enter into that front as we ought to because of wartime conditions." Three women in Tehran contacted by Associated Press said security forces hadn't commented on their lack of a hijab while going through street checkpoints.

The Times of Israel

OTHER

On signs Mbappé to spearhead football expansion

Swiss sportswear brand On has signed Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé as it prepares to enter football. The deal brings an end to Mbappé's two-decade relationship with Nike. On plans to launch its first football boots in 2027, followed by kits and lifestyle products, using its LightSpray manufacturing technology. Former France striker Thierry Henry has joined as director of football. On hopes to develop a long-term partnership with Mbappé similar to its relationship with Roger Federer. Analysts warn that entering a market dominated by Nike, Adidas and Puma would require substantial investment and performance credibility could prove difficult to establish.

Bloomberg

Financial Times

New York Times

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