Human Times

UK Edition

14th September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Government rethinks youth minimum wage rise

The government is reconsidering planned minimum wage increases for young workers due to concerns about rising employment costs. Ministers are examining whether the rapid wage hikes have contributed to the youth jobs crisis: nearly 1m 16 to 24-year-olds are neither working nor studying. A government spokesperson explained that while they remain committed to closing the wage gap, they have asked the Low Pay Commission to consider employment opportunities in future recommendations. Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into youth worklessness, has suggested that slowing wage increases may help persuade companies to hire young people more readily.

Bloomberg

The Daily Telegraph

City AM

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LEGAL

TUC demands action on zero-hours contracts

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak is urging the government to fulfil its promise to eliminate zero-hours contracts. He says that employer organisations have been "loudly campaigning" against reform. Nowak stressed the need for greater income security for low-paid workers, who often face unpredictable hours and earnings. Ahead of the opening day of the TUC Congress in Brighton, Nowak said: “It's time for government to face down the business lobbyists and deliver its zero-hours crackdown in full . . . Good employers have nothing to fear from these new rights. This will level the playing field for them and stop the cowboys.” Meanwhile, Nowak has told the Times that poor behaviour by employers is partly responsible for the scale of welfare spending, saying a "big chunk of our benefits bill . . . goes to subsidise crappy employment." He explained: "It's why a ban on zero-hours contracts is so important . . . because every time a low-paid worker gets a cancelled shift, it means that Universal Credit is doing the heavy lifting for them, rather than their employer having to pay them for the shift."

The Standard

The Times

University workers face fire-and-rehire threat over pensions

The University and College Union (UCU) has criticised the University of Cumbria after staff were offered £8,000 to voluntarily leave the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for the university's own defined contribution scheme, while facing threats that they would be fired and rehired on new contracts to force the switch. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said staff "should never be forced out of a pension scheme they have spent years paying into" and warned that the university's actions "will affect its reputation immensely - as an employer and an education provider." The LGPS advisory board has called for it to be made illegal for incentives to be offered to workers to opt out.

The Daily Telegraph

Veteran investigator sues police for £100k

Paul Tebbutt, a 68-year-old former forensic investigator, is suing West Midlands Police for £100,000, claiming that the stress from handling 50 murders annually caused him to suffer a stroke. Over his 27-year career, he investigated more than 2,000 deaths, including high-profile cases such as the 1994 Coventry air disaster. His lawyers argue that the police force failed to monitor his stress levels adequately. Following his stroke in 2023, Tebbutt was deemed permanently disabled and medically retired in April 2024.

Mail on Sunday

WORKPLACE

NEU calls for 26C maximum classroom temperature

The National Education Union (NEU) has submitted a motion to the TUC annual conference seeking support for proposed new laws that would establish a legal right for workers across "multiple sectors," including in schools, to stop working if workplace temperatures exceed 26C. The union, which is also calling for the creation of community cooling hubs to give communities spaces to escape "extreme heat," has called on the government to support work to make schools "climate resilient," and introduce a "legal right to paid time off for green reps to undertake duties and receive training." Green Party MP Hannah Spencer, who is leading calls for a maximum working temperature, said she is in "full support of workers taking steps to call for desperately needed change and climate adaptation through their unions."

The Sunday Telegraph

HIRING

Manufacturers hit pause on hiring

UK manufacturers are reducing hiring as they await clarity on John Healey's Budget. The proportion of factories planning to increase recruitment has fallen to 3% in Q3, down from 15% in Q2. This coincides with a 6.2% drop in vacancies, according to the Office for National Statistics. Fhaheen Khan, senior economist at Make UK, commented: "The sharp slowdown in recruitment shows that high employment, energy and regulatory costs are forcing firms to think twice before taking on new people."

The Daily Telegraph

WORKFORCE

Gen Z entrepreneurs surge amid job market woes

New data reveals a surge in entrepreneurship among Gen Z, with over 10% of company directors registered this year being under 25. The trend is said to reflect both a booming side-hustle culture and a challenging job market. However, experts warn that many of these ventures may fail, or be abandoned when the job market thaws.

Sunday Mirror

ECONOMY

UK economy grew 0.4% in July

The UK economy experienced unexpected growth of 0.4% in July, surpassing forecasts of zero growth, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The services sector, which accounts for 80% of GDP, led the expansion, driven by strong performance in computer programming and AI-related businesses. Commenting on the figures, Chancellor John Healey said: "Britain's economy is demonstrating a welcome resilience, despite serious global uncertainty."

Financial Times

City AM

Daily Mirror

TAX

Unite boss urges Burnham to tax the rich

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, has called on Andy Burnham to raise taxes on the wealthiest to alleviate the cost of living for working families. Writing for the i paper, she advocates for unfreezing income tax thresholds and implementing significant cuts to energy bills, paid for by the profits of energy companies. Meanwhile, research from Wealth Club indicates that 61% of millionaire investors in the UK have considered leaving due to tax concerns. The study surveyed 341 high-net-worth individuals: 16% are actively contemplating relocation. The average wealth of respondents was approximately £4.5m. Most participants believe taxes will rise in the next year, with inheritance tax being the primary concern. Alex Davies, Founder and CEO of Wealth Club, said: "Every tax rise . . . risks encouraging more wealth creators to look elsewhere." The number of UK millionaires has dropped to 442,000, the lowest since 2007.

The i

IFA Magazine

TECHNOLOGY

AI industry urged to hit brakes

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in AI development following warnings from industry researchers that a superintelligent AI would be a threat to humanity. In an essay, Amodei proposed inserting independent evaluators into frontier AI companies, applying common safety standards among developers and negotiating international cooperation. OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk have backed Amodei's call for a more measured approach. However, some are questioning Amodei's motives: sceptics suggest he may be trying to engineer state regulation to suppress open source competition.

OTHER

Government publishes guidelines for healthier school meals

The Department for Education has published new guidelines for school meals that will require schools to supply high-fibre foods like pulses and wholegrains at least once a week to ensure that all main meals include salad or vegetables, and will ban deep-fried food and limit meals high in fat and salt. While the DfE has said the changes, which will come into effect next year, will be funded from existing budgets, Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), warns that the "current funding rate for free school meals is not enough to cover costs and many schools have to divert money from teaching and learning in order to afford this vital provision." Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said many schools "already have to raid stretched core budgets" to cover shortfalls in funding for school meals. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the "once-in-a-generation changes" will "transform school food for children across the country."

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