Human Times

North American Edition

1st July 2026

THE HOT STORY

Some companies regret AI-driven layoffs and are rehiring

CNBC reports on companies that have walked back their hiring plans after rapidly changing their minds that artificial intelligence can “do it all,” to focus more on human capital. Ford has rehired hundreds of experienced human engineers to work on quality issues that automated systems couldn’t fix, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia and IBM are also said to be refocusing on human capital after making layoffs while investing in AI. IBM replaced its HR functions with AI that handled around 94% of routine requests but was unable to meet the other 6%, which included ethical dilemmas. “Budgeting on ‘tech to replace humans’ without investing in training or upskilling left teams unprepared to leverage AI,” a report from Intuition Labs observed. “Notably, among companies pushing automation, many later ‘regretted’ layoffs, having cut the very people needed to oversee AI,” it added.

CNBC

WORKFORCE

U.S. job openings edge higher, signaling resilient labor demand

The Labor Department reported on Tuesday that U.S. job openings rose slightly to 7.59m in May, exceeding economists' expectations of 7.3m according to a Bloomberg report and indicating that labor demand remained steady despite broader economic uncertainty. The increase was driven by gains in construction and leisure and hospitality, while openings in financial activities declined for a second straight month and professional and business services remained largely unchanged after a strong increase in April. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) also showed the quits rate holding steady at 1.9%, suggesting workers' confidence in changing jobs was stable, while layoffs edged higher, particularly in construction and healthcare. The ratio of job openings to unemployed workers remained unchanged at one-to-one, highlighting a more balanced labor market than in recent years. Economists expect additional insight into hiring trends from Thursday's June employment report, which is forecast to show the U.S. added 110,000 jobs.

CNN

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

STRATEGY

Microsoft to cut under 2.5% of workforce in latest layoffs

Microsoft plans to cut under 2.5% of its workforce in the latest round of layoffs that could be announced as early as ‌next week. The layoffs will impact thousands of roles, including sales and consulting, as well as jobs at the company's Xbox gaming division. Some affected employees will be offered new roles immediately, according to people familiar with the situation.

Business Insider

LEGAL

Supreme Court rejects Trump's plan to limit birthright citizenship

The Supreme Court has upheld the Constitution's guarantee of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Trump's attempt to limit citizenship for children born to undocumented or temporary residents. Chief Justice John G. Roberts said: “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights - to freely participate in our political community . . . The Framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.' We keep that promise today.” The court's interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” are citizens, reinforces the principle of citizenship by birth rather than parentage. Trump's executive order aimed at revising citizenship laws was blocked as unconstitutional, underscoring the court's commitment to constitutional principles over executive power. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented the immigrants who challenged the executive order, called birthright citizenship “foundational to who we are as a nation.” Cecillia Wang, the ACLU's national legal director, told the justices in her oral argument: "Ask any American what our citizenship rule is and they'll tell you, everyone born here is a citizen alike . . . The 14th Amendment's fixed bright-line rule has contributed to the growth and thriving of our nation."

The State Journal Register

Time.com

Los Angeles Times

U.S. News

REMUNERATION

CEO pay reaches new highs in U.S. corporate sector

Chief executive pay at major U.S. companies reached record levels in 2025, with median compensation for S&P 500 CEOs rising to $17.9m, according to analysis by The Wall Street Journal and MyLogIQ. Nearly a dozen chief executives received packages worth more than $200m, while the number earning over $100m reached a four-year high. Media and entertainment companies recorded the highest median CEO pay at $53.2m, while banking had the lowest at $13.4m. Most executive pay was delivered through shares and stock options rather than cash salaries and bonuses. The analysis also highlighted widening pay gaps between executives and employees at some companies.

The Wall Street Journal

ECONOMY

U.S. consumer confidence edges higher in June

U.S. consumer confidence improved modestly in June, with the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rising to 91.2 from a downwardly revised 90.6 in May, although the reading fell short of economists' expectations of 94.2. The increase was driven by improving expectations for income, business conditions, and the labor market, supported by moderating gasoline prices and easing concerns over energy costs following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Despite the overall improvement, consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions weakened, and perceptions of job availability continued to deteriorate. The share of respondents saying jobs were "hard to get" reached its highest level in more than five years, underscoring ongoing labor market concerns ahead of the June employment report, which economists expect will show the U.S. added 115,000 jobs.

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

RISK

Anthropic allowed to release Mythos AI to 'trusted' U.S. organizations

The U.S. government has given Anthropic the green light to put its Claude Mythos 5 artificial intelligence model back into the hands of 100 or so “trusted partners”, including many Fortune 500 companies and U.S. government departments. The Trump administration had been concerned that such powerful AI systems could be misused by military intelligence users in China, Russia or other countries. Reuters notes that the administration's vetting of which companies can gain access to Mythos has been widely criticized. "No one knows how these companies are picked and why everyone else is excluded," observed John Coleman, legislative counsel for the Philadelphia-based nonpartisan free speech organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. "This is putting too much power in the hands of the government. There's little transparency and it raises questions about the rule of law."

Financial Times

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

EY staff accused of accessing Australian prime minister's bank account

Two junior EY employees have been accused of improperly accessing the bank account of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while on secondment at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, according to people familiar with the matter. The employees, who joined EY in March, were subsequently dismissed after the alleged breach was discovered. Reports also indicate that the pair accessed the account of at least one EY partner before the bank alerted the firm. The Australian Federal Police have charged two men, ages 21 and 25, with unlawfully accessing restricted personal banking information belonging to a federal parliamentarian. The case is due to be heard in a Sydney court, while Commonwealth Bank and the prime minister's office have declined to comment on the incident.

Bloomberg

Financial Times

The Guardian

Japanese firms step up DEI efforts

Japanese employers are starting to take their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives more seriously, The Japan Times reports. Earlier this year, human resources personnel from about 50 Japanese companies gathered at the Tokyo office of law firm Nishimura & Asahi, where they took part in a workshop while wearing items designed to simulate various disabilities. Masanobu Hayashi of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan in Tokyo was among the participants. “By seeing consideration for people with disabilities . . . I was able to get a real sense of the actual difficulties involved and how to ask for help,” he said. Hayashi added that Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan “regards the promotion of DEI as one of its management strategies, incorporating it into decision-making and management, with the aim of establishing it as part of our culture so that it is practiced naturally.”

The Japan Times Online

Fewer job offers for junior roles as firms adopt AI

Fewer junior roles are being advertised in Switzerland than before 2023 as companies increasingly adopt AI, according to analysis of over 7.3 million job advertisements by Swiss job ‌portal jobs.ch. The share of entry level positions advertised was 32% lower in 2025 than the average between 2019 and 2022, a period defined in the study as the "pre-AI" phase. Meanwhile, AI skills were increasingly sought for roles outside of IT work and offers for senior positions increased 26% in AI-exposed roles in 2025 ‌compared ⁠to the four-year period before 2023, the study found.

Reuters

AI resistance is the biggest concern for UAE employers

According to the 2026 People Risks report by Marsh, mindset barriers to AI adoption have become the primary concern for UAE employers, surpassing cybersecurity and health costs. The survey, which included 103 HR and risk professionals in the UAE, highlighted inadequate cyber threat literacy and labor shortages as additional risks. Only 40% of firms reported full collaboration between HR and risk teams. Adel Alderi, business development leader at Mercer Marsh Benefits, observed: “People risks in the UAE can no longer be treated as secondary workforce issues. They are now directly linked to business continuity, employee wellbeing, digital transformation and organizational resilience . . . AI adoption is an important part of the findings, but the wider issue for employers is workforce resilience.” He added that employers are simultaneously contending with rising health costs, mental wellbeing pressures and financial insecurity among staff.

Khaleej Times Online

OTHER

Chemours to pay $450m in first federal settlement over 'forever chemicals'

The Chemours Company has agreed a $450m settlement with the Department of Justice over the release of so-called "forever chemicals" in West Virginia, North Carolina and New ‌Jersey. The settlement includes a $22.5m civil penalty and $90m in funding to control per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have been linked to cancer and other risks, and remove them from drinking water. "This is the first comprehensive settlement by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims over pollution by a manufacturer of forever chemicals," DOJ said. The settlement “delivers on the Trump administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop PFAS contamination at the source,” said Jeffrey Hall, assistant EPA administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.

The Human Times is designed to help you stay ahead, spark ideas and support innovation, learning and development in your organisation.

The links under articles indicate original news sources. Some links lead directly to the source material. Others lead to paywalls where you may need a subscription. A third category are restricted by copyright rules.

For reaction and insights on any stories covered in the Human Times, join the discussion by becoming a member of our LinkedIn Group or Business Page, or follow us on X.

Online

Advertise

This e-mail has been sent to [[EMAIL_TO]]

Click here to unsubscribe