Human Times

UK Edition

27th July 2026

THE HOT STORY

Fair Work Agency targets rogue bosses

The Fair Work Agency is stepping up enforcement against employers that underpay wages, holiday pay and sick pay. Established this year, the regulator combines enforcement with support for businesses to improve compliance, while targeting rogue employers through fines, legal action and potential director bans. "We want workers to know what their rights are and how to get support. We want businesses to feel that compliance is simpler and easier to achieve and that they're treated fairly," Lisa Pinney, the agency's chief executive, said. "And we want to underpin that by being able to demonstrate really strong action against those who set out to exploit workers or to undercut legitimate business." The agency is also working with other regulators to tackle labour exploitation, modern slavery and "phoenix" companies that evade debts by repeatedly entering insolvency.

The Times

WORKFORCE

Employers told to give young people a 'fair chance'

The Prime Minister is expected this week to announce plans to overhaul the welfare system to begin cutting the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). Andy Burnham is understood to be considering introducing a system inspired by the Netherlands that will require young people to take up training courses or carry out voluntary work to continue receiving benefits. He has spoken with representatives from business sectors across the UK and urged employers to give young people a "fair chance to find a good job" to support efforts to bring down the number of NEETs. Burnham told business leaders that he was committed to reducing "the frictions that make doing business and hiring people more difficult." He said: "We'll listen, we'll act and we'll give firms the backing they need to reindustrialise Britain," but "in return I want businesses to invest in their people, back their communities and help us give every young person a fair chance to find a good job."

The Daily Telegraph

The I

Pip 'pays more than job'

The Times reports that teenagers who claim the upper tier of the personal independence payment (Pip) for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions including anxiety, depression, autism and ADHD receive £100 a week more than those who take a part-time job on the minimum wage. More than 87,000 16 and 17-year-olds claim the non-meanstested benefit that is intended to cover the extra costs of disability. A 16-year-old working 12 hours a week, the legal maximum during term time, on the under-18 minimum wage takes home about £94; the same teenager, signed off with anxiety, can receive more than double the hourly equivalent while staying at home.

The Times

LEGAL

Doctors take legal action over exam blunder

Twenty-one doctors are suing the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) for professional negligence after being wrongly informed that they had passed a key exam. The error affected hundreds who sat the Membership of Royal Colleges of Physicians written exam in September 2023. Many of the doctors worked for more than a year without being aware that they were not qualified to do so. Those affected by the error "suffered immediate career uncertainty, professional embarrassment and emotional distress, health consequences and financial consequences", accord to the "Letter of Claim" seen by the Sunday Telegraph.

The Sunday Telegraph

The Times

Jes Staley quizzed over Epstein ties

Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley has been grilled by members of Congress over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said that Staley, who before he became the boss of Barclays ran JPMorgan’s private wealth and asset management divisions, encouraged the US lender to retain Epstein as a client despite internal red flags. “It appears that within JPMorgan there were flags - red flags - about Epstein, but Mr. Staley is on record defending Epstein and encouraging JPMorgan to keep him as a client,” Comer, R-Ky., told CNBC. “So we have a lot of questions about that.” Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for urgent answers from Barclays over what she claimed was its “apparent failure to meaningfully investigate” ties between Staley and Epstein.

CNBC

Financial Times

The Guardian

REGULATION

Ryanair CEO chided by US safety agency

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has been rebuked by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for making public comments about a recent flight during which a dislodged window threatened to suck out a passenger. The US safety agency said his comments on a public earnings call violated international rules governing aircraft investigations because they provided opinion and analysis of the yet undetermined cause of the accident. O’Leary had intimated that the incident was caused by “foreign object damage,” rather than the aircraft’s age or maintenance issues, according to the NTSB.

Bloomberg

Irish Times

ECONOMY

UK growth expected to slow

The UK economy is projected to experience a "sustained period of weak growth," according to the EY Item Club. GDP growth is expected to slow to 0.9% this year and further to 0.7% next year, influenced by rising oil prices amid Middle East tensions. The fiscal headroom for Chancellor John Healey may have diminished significantly, potentially forcing tax increases or spending cuts in the upcoming budget. Inflation is expected to peak at 3.5%, with unemployment rising to 5.5%, the forecaster said.

The Times

TAX

More than 600,000 UK high earners could be dragged into pension trap by 2032

The number of high earners who will be forced to reduce their pension contributions could increase by more than one-fifth over the next five years, new HM Revenue & Customs analysis suggests.

Financial Times

INTERNATIONAL

Immigrant employment in the EU reached 'record high' in 2025

Immigrant employment in the European Union rose to a record high last year, according to a report from the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin). The employment rate among immigrants increased to 68.2% last year from 67.8% in 2024, according to the study, based on Eurostat data, from the Centre for Research and ⁠Analysis of Migration (CReAM) at RFBerlin. "The proportion of immigrants in employment has been rising for many years, and the figures are close to that of the native population," observed CReAM deputy director Tommaso Frattini. The employment rate for non-EU immigrants grew from 59.4% to 66%; the employment rate among EU immigrants increased from 71.1% to 74.8%. "The ⁠challenge today is no longer simply getting immigrants into work but ensuring that their skills are fully utilised," added Christian Dustmann, director of RFBerlin.

Reuters

Wildberries warehouse hit by fire after drone attack near St Petersburg

A warehouse operated by Russian online retailer Wildberries in the Leningrad region near St Petersburg caught fire following what Russian authorities said was a Ukrainian drone attack, leaving three people injured and forcing the company to suspend operations at two logistics sites in the region. Wildberries also evacuated staff from a warehouse in Crimea, although it said none of its employees were injured in the latest incident. The attack is the latest in a series targeting the retailer's logistics network, with five Wildberries warehouses, representing around 10% of its logistics capacity, having been attacked since July 18th. Ukraine has alleged the company supports Russia's military infrastructure, a claim Wildberries denies. Together with rival Ozon, Wildberries accounts for goods and services worth the equivalent of 8.5% of Russia's GDP and employs around 4m people.

Financial Times

Reuters

Lindt sued over alleged child labour claims

Swiss chocolatier Lindt has been sued in a US federal court over allegations that it misled consumers by claiming it was committed to eliminating child labour from its cocoa supply chain while knowingly sourcing cocoa produced using child labour in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The lawsuit, filed by International Rights Advocates, alleges the company has been aware of the issue for more than 20 years and seeks to stop the alleged misleading practices, but does not seek damages. Lindt has denied the allegations, saying it strongly condemns child labour, has supplier protocols in place, and systematically investigates suspected cases in its supply chain. The company also pointed to its 2030 Sustainability Plan and Modern Slavery Statement, which outline measures to support cocoa farmers and reduce child labour risks.

Bloomberg

Reuters

India's domestic workers go online

In India, domestic workers are increasingly joining platforms such as Snabbit, Pronto, and Urban Company, which seek to bring structure to a hitherto unregulated sector that employs some 30 million people, while allowing both workers and customers more flexibility. Heena Bibi, a 34-year-old domestic worker, says that she earns around 45,000 rupees monthly on such a platform, significantly more than via traditional arrangements. However, some workers have expressed concerns about safety and prefer the traditional system. Labour advocates argue that app-based work may not improve conditions, as workers lack job security and benefits, according to Sanjay Gaba, president of the All India Gig and Platform Workers Union.

Bangkok Post

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