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North American Edition
1st April 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

Labor market shows signs of cooling as openings and hiring decline

U.S. job openings fell to 6.88m in February from an upwardly revised 7.24m in January, undershooting expectations and signalling a moderation in labor demand after a brief uptick at the start of the year. According to the Labor Department's latest JOLTS report, hiring also slowed markedly, to its lowest level since April 2020, reflecting weaker recruitment across sectors including construction, leisure and hospitality, and business services. The slowdown in vacancies was driven by declines in accommodation and food services, healthcare, and manufacturing, suggesting softness is concentrated in specific industries rather than broad-based. Meanwhile, the quits rate held at 1.9%, matching its lowest level since 2020, indicating reduced worker confidence in securing new roles, while layoffs edged up slightly but remained subdued overall. The ratio of job openings to unemployed workers fell to 0.9, down significantly from a peak of 2 in 2022, reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s view that the labor market is no longer a key source of inflationary pressure. 
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LEGAL

Trump plans to attend today's Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship

Donald Trump is set to attend today's Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, marking the first time a sitting president has attended oral arguments at the court. The hearing will address Trump's appeal against a lower court ruling that invalidated his executive order which aimed to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporary residents. "I'm going," Trump said, when the upcoming arguments in the birthright citizenship case were mentioned. To a follow-up question clarifying that he planned to go in person, Trump said, "I think so, I do believe."

DOJ sues over ban on wheeled walkers at theme parks

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts, the parent company of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, claiming that a ban on seated wheeled walkers, or rollators, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial in Orlando to assess whether the company discriminated against individuals with disabilities. The DOJ's complaint highlights incidents where visitors, including veterans with mobility disabilities, were denied entry with their rollators. United Parks & Resorts contends that the policy was implemented for safety reasons, stating: “The policy at issue was implemented to address repeated safety incidents involving misuse of rollators with seats.” The company also claims to provide alternative options for guests at no cost.
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HIRING

Unilever freezes hiring as Iran war poses ‘significant challenges’

Unilever is freezing hiring for at least three months. The company, which owns brands such as Dove soap and Hellman’s mayonnaise, told staff the ban on hiring will affect “all levels” of recruitment and was taken in response to the “significant challenges” posed by the crisis in the Middle East. "Macro economic and geopolitical realities, especially in the Middle ​East conflict . . . bring some significant challenges for the coming few months," Fabian Garcia, head of Unilever's personal care business, wrote in a memo. "With this in mind, the Unilever Leadership Executive team has agreed a global recruitment freeze at ​all levels. This will be effective immediately and last for a minimum of three months."

Why recruiters are making interviews ‘AI-free zones’

Distrust precipitated by artificial intelligence is causing some companies to reassess their approach to hiring, introducing obstacles in application forms to prevent cheating, and increasing use of AI screening tools.
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STRATEGY

Oracle begins layoffs affecting thousands

Oracle has announced job cuts affecting around 10,000 employees. In a LinkedIn post, Michael Shepard, a senior manager, noted that senior engineers, architects, operations leaders, program managers, and technical specialists had been let go but noted that the "significant" reductions were not performance-related, saying: "The individuals affected were not let go because of anything they did or didn't do."

GM temporarily lays off 1,300 workers at Detroit EV plant

General Motors is extending downtime at a Detroit electric vehicle plant - which produces vehicles including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Hummer EV - until April 13. The downtime began on March 16. “Factory ZERO will temporarily ⁠adjust production to align EV production with ​market demand,” a GM spokesperson said. The temporary ​layoff affects 1,300 workers.
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WORKFORCE

U.S. proposes opening 401(k) plans to private equity and crypto

The Trump administration has proposed new rules allowing alternative assets such as private equity, private credit, and cryptocurrencies to be included in 401(k) retirement plans, aiming to broaden investment options and potentially enhance returns and diversification for savers. The move, led by the Department of Labor, would ease longstanding restrictions and provide guidance and legal protections for plan trustees evaluating these more complex and less liquid investments. While industry groups have welcomed the proposal as a way to unlock new capital and improve retirement outcomes, critics warn of higher fees, valuation challenges, and liquidity risks for retail investors. The rule will undergo a 60-day consultation period, with final adoption still pending.
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ECONOMY

U.S. consumers bear brunt of tariffs, ECB finds

A European Central Bank study has found that U.S. consumers and importers absorb most of the cost of tariffs, contradicting claims that foreign exporters pay the bulk. The analysis estimates consumers currently bear around one-third of tariff costs, potentially rising above half over time, while a 10% increase in tariffs is projected to reduce import volumes by 4.3%, also negatively impacting exporters.
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TAX

Washington's 'millionaires tax' takes effect

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has enacted a new high-earners income tax, known as the “millionaires tax,” which imposes a 9.9% levy on earnings exceeding $1m. Set to begin with 2028 income, the tax is projected to generate between $3bn and $4bn annually, impacting around 21,000 households. Ferguson said: “This is truly a historical step forward in rebalancing our tax code,” as he emphasized its importance for working families. The revenue will primarily support the state operating budget, with a portion allocated for child care and early learning subsidies. Additionally, the measure aims to provide tax relief for residents, including the elimination of sales tax on essential items and expanded eligibility for the Working Families Tax Credit, benefiting approximately 460,000 households. Despite its potential benefits, the tax faces anticipated legal challenges from opposition groups.
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INTERNATIONAL

Dutch court bans Grok from generating fake nudes

A Dutch court has ordered Elon ‌Musk's xAI and chatbot Grok to stop generating non-consensual nude pictures and child sexual abuse material. The company is ordered to pay damages of €100,000 per day for each day it fails to comply, up to a maximum of €10m. The Amsterdam judge said the generation and distribution of sexualized footage is banned “when the functionality to undress people partially or fully is being used without these people giving their explicit consent.” The judge also prohibited the generation of footage “that, according to Dutch law, qualifies as child sexual abuse material.” Reuters says the preliminary injunction could set a precedent in Europe; it is ​one of the first times a judge has averred on xAI's responsibility for making tools ​that can be used to easily create sexualized images. The case was brought by ​Offlimits, a Dutch nonprofit group that combats online sexual abuse.

Standard Chartered 'balance the scales' for women in the workplace

Business Times Singapore reports on the policies that are part of Standard Chartered's commitment to “balancing the scales” - empowering and supporting its female employees to thrive within the organization. Standard Chartered was among the first banks in Singapore to offer shared parental leave of at least 21 weeks to all employees regardless of gender or how a child came to join the family. The bank also provides support to staff managing menopause, including medical coverage for related symptoms. Patrick Lee, Standard Chartered's chief executive officer for Singapore, Asean and South Asia, says an inclusive culture is now “deeply ingrained” throughout the organization. “We know that having a diversity of perspectives and lived experiences improves our ability to innovate, solve problems and enable better outcomes for our diverse client base, and is key to how we execute and accelerate our strategy,” he explains.
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OTHER

Walmart to replace paper price labels with digital tags

Walmart plans to replace paper price labels with digital tags in all U.S. stores by the end of 2026, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy in pricing. The transition seeks to eliminate labor-intensive manual price changes, allowing associates to spend more time assisting customers. The digital labels, updated remotely, aim to keep prices consistent amidst inflation concerns, although critics fear they may lead to dynamic pricing practices in the future. Supporters point to possibilities for reducing discrepancies between shelf prices and checkout totals. However, there is legislative pushback against the technology, with concerns about future misuse if clear regulations are not established.
 
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