Human Times

UK Edition

25th September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Over 50s struggle to find work

DWP workforce data showed 585,000 people aged 50 to 64 were not employed but wanted or were willing to work in 2026, up 2% year-on-year. Of these, 62% were not seeking work because of sickness, injury or disability, while 16% cited caring for home or family. Women were more likely than men to be economically inactive, although overall employment among over-50s rose to 72.2%. Marianna Hunt, personal finance specialist at Fidelity International, warned that leaving work in your 50s can “force them into an early retirement they can't afford”, reducing earnings, pension contributions and investment growth. Women’s average labour-market exit age also reached a record 65.1 years.

London Evening Standard

CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

Inside the Candidate Experience 2026 - AI can’t fix candidate experience, but communication can

AI is top of mind for talent leaders, yet communication remains the breakdown almost no one is addressing. Despite widespread hiring technology investments, candidate experience across EMEA has barely improved. PeopleScout’s 2026 Inside the Candidate Experience EMEA report reveals that 63% of candidates are ghosted in more than half of their applications, while post-application engagement scores sit at a staggeringly low 9 out of 100.

Based on a survey of 500+ job seekers and an audit of 40 key experience indicators, this report explores how communication gaps risk your brand and AI ROI. Discover key regional insights and get a practical communication checklist to strengthen your hiring process.

Download the report here

WORKFORCE

Young people priced out of jobs

Barnardo's reported that many young people are being excluded from jobs, education, and training due to financial constraints. A survey of 1,000 individuals aged 16 to 25 revealed that 56% had declined or left opportunities because they could not afford travel, clothing, or childcare. Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo's, said: "Young people want to work... but the cost of accessing an opportunity is becoming a barrier." The report highlights the need for a system that removes these practical barriers to employment.

The Independent UK

PRODUCTIVITY

AI can't replace human skills

The rise of AI has transformed many tasks, yet a significant skills shortage persists among employers. A study revealed that 61% of employers feel schools are failing to equip young people with essential workplace skills. Despite AI's prevalence, human qualities like judgment and creativity remain irreplaceable. The WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai will showcase 28 UK competitors across 25 disciplines, highlighting the importance of practical skills. Parisa Shirazi, director of standards at WorldSkills UK, noted: "Employers are crying out for skilled workers," emphasising the need for education to align with industry demands.

The Sun

HIRING

Men 'will hire more women' after birth of first daughter

Research from Aarhus University in Denmark suggests that male managers are more likely to hire women and promote them after the birth of their first daughter. The study, published in the Review of Economic Studies, found that women's earnings relative to men improved by 4.4% and female employment rose by 2.9% in small Danish firms. The researchers said that when a male manager had his first daughter, regardless of whether he had any older sons, "women's pay and employment in their firms increase significantly." They added: "In short: becoming a . . . father [to a daughter] appears to make bosses more inclined to hire women and to pay them better."

The Times

Great British Energy defends job claims

Dan McGrail, chief executive of Great British Energy, defended the company's job creation efforts amid claims of exaggeration regarding its impact on Aberdeen. He stated that the firm is currently hiring about "two people a week" at its headquarters, aiming for a total of around 300 by 2030. McGrail noted that the company has made significant investments that could indirectly create 1,500 jobs, with a target of 10,000 jobs by 2030. He emphasised the importance of the effectiveness of new hires and the impact of their investments on the energy transition.

BBC News

London Evening Standard

Government aims to boost magistrate numbers

The UK government plans to increase the number of magistrates in England and Wales to 21,000 by 2029, up from 12,500 in 2022, to address a significant court backlog. Currently, there are 370,222 pending cases, a rise of 11% over the past year. Courts minister Sarah Sackman said: "We want to build a 21,000-strong magistracy in 2028/29." A £4m recruitment campaign has been launched to attract volunteers from diverse backgrounds. The Ministry of Justice noted that 50% of the UK population believes they have the necessary skills to serve as magistrates.

Mirror.co.uk

Young minds explore electric vehicle tech

The UK Government has partnered with the defence industry to create 40,000 job opportunities for 18- to 24-year-olds by 2030, increasing to 50,000 by 2035. This initiative, part of a £182m defence skills package, aims to provide apprenticeships and work experience with major firms like BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin.

The I

Royal Mail seeks 22,000 seasonal staff

Royal Mail is hiring approximately 22,000 temporary staff to manage the busy Christmas period. These roles include 12,500 mail sorting jobs in England and additional vacancies for delivery drivers and collection staff.

The Independent UK

STRATEGY

Admiral to cut 500 jobs in the UK

Admiral Insurance has announced plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 500 jobs, representing about 5% of its UK operations. Chief Executive Alistair Hargreaves said the cuts aim to enhance efficiency and support the company's goal of saving £100m.

BBC News

Bentley boosts UK automotive with £350m investment

Bentley Motors has announced a £350m investment to develop its first fully electric vehicle, the Torcal, at its Crewe headquarters. This contributes to a total of £1.02bn invested in the UK automotive sector in the past week, following investments from McLaren and Nissan.

City AM

WORKPLACE

Offices are quieter, but at what cost?

Modern offices are becoming quieter and potentially less sociable as hot-desking expands. The Times reports that unassigned desks have risen from 13% of workers in 2014 to 58% today, while a Kahoot! survey found 17% of office workers spend an entire day without speaking to anyone and 40% feel lonely. Hot-desking can also create practical and accessibility challenges, contributing to employment disputes involving workers who require consistent or specialist setups. However, Leesman data suggests unassigned desks themselves are not necessarily the problem. Peggie Rothe of Leesman says poorly rated workplaces often “face a sea of identical desks”, while successful offices provide collaboration spaces, booths, meeting rooms and focused areas. The argument is that employers should treat flexible working environments as opportunities to encourage interaction and choice rather than simply reduce property costs.

The Times

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Glass Lewis and Clarity AI merge for sustainability

Glass Lewis and Clarity AI have merged to enhance their capabilities in sustainability and corporate governance. This strategic combination aims to better serve European institutional investors and companies by integrating advanced technology and local market expertise. Bob Mann, CEO of Glass Lewis, said: "This union brings together two highly complementary sets of capabilities." The merger, which closed on September 23, 2026, positions the combined workforce of over 900 professionals to address evolving regulatory requirements in Europe, a key market for sustainable investing.

City A.M.

REMOTE WORKING

Judge should not have presided over case from bed, court says

A judge should not have presided over a case from his bed via video link while recovering from surgery, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Richard Clayton KC heard an appeal from optician Suleman Patel against a nine-month suspension by the General Optical Council. Lord Justice Phillips wrote: "The deputy judge is to be commended on his willingness to hear a case whilst recovering from injury and his fortitude in doing so in bed, in trying circumstances . . . However, I consider that, save in exceptional circumstances, such as great urgency or where a matter can only be heard by a specific judge, a judge should only undertake a hearing (and a hearing should only be listed before them) when they have the essential tools to undertake the task properly and professionally."

The Guardian

LEGAL

Tech exec seeks record £76m payout

Shannon Burns, a former Vice President of Engineering at Gitpod, is pursuing a £76m compensation claim after winning a disability discrimination case against the company. Burns, who developed PTSD following her dismissal, was sacked after an incident during a work trip where she fell asleep in a sauna, attributed to her ADHD. The Birmingham Employment Tribunal dismissed Gitpod's attempt to limit her claim to £1m, allowing her to seek the full amount based on her potential earnings in the tech industry.

TAX

Higher taxes on banks threatens UK financial status

Senior bankers have expressed concern that the UK is losing its status as a global financial hub. A survey by UK Finance and Norton Rose Fulbright found that many executives would not choose the UK as their base if starting anew. The survey, involving 14 international banks employing around 35,000 people in the UK, highlighted fears of increased taxes on lenders. UK Finance points out that the total tax rate for banks in London is significantly higher than in Frankfurt and New York. UK Finance chief David Postings said: "I think already we're very highly taxed. To go further than that, I think, would reach a tipping point and would be very risky on the part of the government."

Daily Mail

The Times

RISK

HSBC moves board meeting from Dubai to London amid safety concerns

Board members from HSBC will convene in London instead of Dubai later this month amid concerns over safety as the US-Iran war continues to roil executive travel to the region.

Financial Times

INTERNATIONAL

First Nations workers in Australia paid 16% less per hour

The University of Technology Sydney's Centre for Indigenous People and Work and Indigenous Business Australia has released a report which indicates that Indigenous workers in Australia earn 16% less per hour than their non-Indigenous counterparts. The report attributes the disparity to systemic issues, and estimates that the pay gap could result in $170bn in lost income by 2050. It made a number of recommendations to create fairer pay and employment structures, including the placing of a positive duty on employers to prevent racial discrimination, in the same way they must prevent sex discrimination. Other recommendations in the report include improving Indigenous employment data collection, and for cultural skills to be valued properly when wages are set.

ABC Online

German union calls for 5% raise for engineering workers

Germany's IG Metall union wants a 5% ‌pay increase for 3.7 million workers in the engineering sector ahead of collective bargaining talks. "Of course, we see that some companies are under considerable pressure ⁠and that this will continue. But as IG Metall, we do not accept deterioration in wages and employment rights," IG Metall President Christiane Benner said, adding "We need a vision that goes beyond job cuts, relocations, and plant closures." Reuters notes that widespread layoffs are occurring in German industry, notably in the auto sector.

Reuters

OTHER

Schools ‘urgently need’ AI framework, Hayes says

Commons Education Select Committee chair Helen Hayes tells Tes that the government “urgently” needs to provide schools with a framework on how to use AI. “There is no adequate policy framework yet for the use of AI in schools, and yet [AI] is already here . . . What impact is AI having in our education system? What are the opportunities to be grasped through it? But also what are the risks, and how does our education system need to be recalibrated? I don’t think the government has got that framework in place yet,” Hayes said. The committee is investigating how AI and edtech are reshaping education in England’s schools, including the opportunities and risks that the tools pose, and Hayes said it will be publishing its recommendations soon.

Tes

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