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UK Edition
10th August 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

Employers revive hiring plans

The UK job market is showing signs of recovery, with permanent appointments stabilising in July after 45 months of decline, according to a study by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). The permanent placements index reached the 50-point threshold after almost four years of contraction. Vacancies also improved, reaching their highest level since September 2024, while part-time hiring grew at its fastest pace since August 2023. Demand for staff fell at its slowest rate in 22 months and permanent staff pay increased at its fastest rate in six months. Callum Licence, head of advisory at KPMG, said: "With a new government, businesses will be looking for signs that new policies can translate into greater confidence to invest and hire." Maxine Bligh from REC said: "Rays of light are beginning to break through for the job market as employers revive hiring plans."
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WORKFORCE

Probation staff threaten strike action

Around 8,000 probation staff represented by the National Association of Probation Officers could strike before the end of the year over working hours, raising safety concerns as the government’s revised early release scheme begins in October. The service is already short of about 1,500 officers and heavily reliant on overtime. Unions warn that increased workloads could cause cases to fall through the cracks and put victims at risk. Martin Jones, the Chief Inspector of Probation, said: "I can certainly see that [industrial action] as something that's very high risk, even if there were simply to be any work to rule."
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WORKPLACE

Firms fail to consider the perks that work

Writing in the Sunday Times, Hannah Prevett says that some firms are "spending small fortunes trying to make themselves attractive employers" by providing workplace perks but often fail to check whether staff actually value them. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 20% of employers are unclear about what their benefits are meant to achieve, and only 15% assess whether they work. A survey of 2,000 UK workers by HR software company Ciphr found that employees tend to prioritise practical benefits such as sick pay, pay rises keeping pace with inflation, flexible working, pensions and financial support over gimmicks such as beer fridges, sleep pods and office slides. The author notes that firms including PwC and the Chartered Management Institute are cutting costly perks and focusing instead on flexibility, time and financial wellbeing.

New DfE recruits cannot work from two regional offices

New recruits to the Department for Education cannot work from its Bristol and Nottingham offices due to limited desk space. The two offices have “site controls” in place, meaning only existing civil servants already assigned to those locations can work there. It follows an incident in 2022 when staff at the DfE's Sheffield office struggled to evacuate following the discovery of a “suspect package” due to overcrowding. Recruitment can be approved to these two sites by exception “prioritising hard-to-source skills and locally-facing work,” the DfE added. 
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REMOTE WORKING

Hargreaves Lansdown enforces office return

Retail investment broker Hargreaves Lansdown has announced that employees must return to the office for at least three days a week starting next year. The decision aligns with a trend among major financial firms, including JPMorgan and Revolut, to enforce stricter return-to-office policies. TSB has also mandated a similar requirement for its workforce. The shift back toward increased office attendance has led to increased demand for office space in cities.
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ECONOMY

Business activity rebounds in July

UK business activity returned to growth in July, with BDO’s output index rising to 95.29 from 93.41 in June. A reading above 95 signifies growth. The rebound was driven mainly by hospitality and retail, helped by warm weather, domestic tourism and the World Cup, while a modest bounce from the change in Prime Minister also lifted confidence. The report also showed that business confidence improved slightly, rising to 89.96 from a five-year low of 88.45. Manufacturing confidence weakened, however, amid concerns over rising costs and geopolitical tensions. Looking ahead, Scott Knight, head of growth at BDO, said that without greater certainty around the government's economic policies, any improvement in the economy "is likely to be temporary, seasonal and short-lived."
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

NEETs data shows the education system needs rewiring, Powell says

Education Secretary Lucy Powell has said that the latest figures on the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) - particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - show the need for widespread reform of education. "Making sure young people stay connected to education, training and opportunity starts long before results day," she said, with ministers "rewiring the entire education system to give young people from all backgrounds the chance to thrive." Under the current system, disadvantage "is being entrenched and young people are working against the odds before they've even got going," Powell said.

 
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INTERNATIONAL

Amazon accused of ‘grueling working conditions' and wage suppression

New Jersey has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the company unlawfully uses its dominant position in the market for delivery drivers to suppress competition, keep wages artificially low, and impose poor working conditions on contractors in its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) network. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, New Jersey charged that Amazon “orchestrated a deliberate and unlawful scheme” to harm thousands who were forced to work under “grueling and often inhumane conditions” through its creation and control over DSPs. Amazon has rejected the allegations, saying its delivery partners are independent businesses that control their own hiring and operations.

Unlawfully sacked Qantas workers to share in A$40m payout

Qantas workers who were unlawfully sacked during the COVID-19 pandemic will receive a $40m payout, following a Federal Court ruling. Justice Michael Lee ordered the payment to be made immediately, and criticised the compensation administrator for delays and lack of transparency. In December last year, he ordered the airline to pay A$90m - the largest employer fine in Australia's industrial history - due to the "sheer scale" of contraventions. Of this amount, A$50m has already been paid to the Transport Workers' Union. "I should draw a line in the sand from today," Justice Lee said as he ordered the payment be "decoupled" from the wider compensation scheme. "It is simply unfair to make those who have done all they reasonably can do to engage with the administrator to wait any longer."

Syria reinstates dismissed civil servants

Syria's transitional government has reinstated all civil servants dismissed for participating in the 2011 uprising against the Assad regime. Minister of Local Administration and Environment Mohammad Anjarani described the move as an “ethical and national responsibility.” The ministry said it aims to review the qualifications of returning employees to effectively rebuild state institutions. The decision is part of a broader effort to reverse politically motivated dismissals, with nearly 50,000 civil servants reinstated since the regime's collapse in December 2024. Anjarani observed that these returning employees possess valuable experience for the country's rebuilding process.

Ministers clash over 52-hour workweek exemption in 'special' zones

Korea's industry and labour ministers have clashed over whether to exempt some workers from the country's 52-hour workweek cap, in a public expression of sharply differing views that underscores divisions over how far local labour regulations should be eased to boost competitiveness. Under the Labor Standards Act, employees are generally prohibited from working more than 52 hours a week - a standard 40-hour workweek plus up to 12 hours of overtime. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan has said that companies within proposed "megaspecial zones" should be allowed to operate outside the limit, arguing that the cap obstructs growth, but his labour counterpart said Korean firms are not being disadvantaged by the rule.
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OTHER

Debt collection agencies chase graduates living overseas

Analysis by the Times has found that the Student Loans Company (SLC) has stepped up its spending on debt collection. The SLC, an arm's-length government body, spent £1.8m with external debt agencies in the first half of the year, almost double the £0.95m spent over the same period in 2025. The figure comes amid growing debate over the amount borrowed by foreign students who are less likely to repay their loans, and over challenges faced by the SLC in pursuing repayments from graduates who move to work overseas. A spokesperson said the government is "investing in SLC's debt recovery capability" as part of a "three-year transformation programme."
 
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