Human Times

North American Edition

5th October 2026

THE HOT STORY

U.S. job growth slows sharply

The Commerce Department reported on Friday that U.S. employers added 29,000 jobs in September, well below economists’ expectations of 84,000, while the unemployment rate edged up from 4.1% to 4.2%. Previous estimates were also revised lower, with employers now reported to have cut 10,000 jobs in July and added 133,000 in August, reducing the combined total for those two months by 60,000 jobs. Healthcare added 17,000 jobs, construction gained 11,000, and manufacturing employment increased slightly, while government, information, and financial-sector employment declined. Average hourly wages rose 3% from a year earlier, below the 3.4% annual inflation rate reported for August. The article characterizes the labor market as increasingly “low-hire, low-fire,” with fewer workers needed to maintain a stable unemployment rate because of an aging population and lower immigration. The report also showed no signs of labor-market tightening that would add to inflationary pressures, giving Federal Reserve officials room to keep interest rates unchanged while awaiting further inflation data.

HIRING

FlyDubai attack exposes vetting failures

The attempted attack aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 has exposed apparent failures in aviation security and intelligence-sharing across Oman, the UAE and Israel. Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami had previously been barred from flying by Oman Air after authorities became concerned about his interest in extremist ideology, yet those concerns were not widely shared. FlyDubai later hired him without contacting Oman to verify his record and assigned him repeatedly to Tel Aviv, despite restrictions affecting Omani nationals. Captain Smit Machchhar said Hammami attacked him with an emergency axe before passengers helped subdue him and recover the aircraft from a dive. Aviation security specialist Matthew Borie said there were “multiple levels of failure” before airport screening even became relevant. Investigations are examining hiring, vetting and information-sharing procedures.

Wall Street Journal

CULTURE

OpenAI safety leader resigns over culture

David Robinson, a safety leader at OpenAI, has resigned, citing a broken culture within the company. In his essay for Atlantic magazine, he expressed concerns that AI firms are not exercising sufficient caution in technology development. He highlighted incidents like autonomous OpenAI agents attacking Hugging Face as indicative of the industry's reckless pace. Robinson stated: "We need to talk about culture," emphasising the need for a cultural overhaul. OpenAI has recently shown signs of caution, pausing model training and scrapping a new AI release after safety concerns were raised.

Reuters

LEGAL

Costco faces lawsuit over forced labor

Costco has been sued in Oregon over allegations that hundreds of products it sells are linked to child or forced labor despite the retailer promoting its supply chain and products as ethically sourced and sustainable. The proposed class action alleges that products including cocoa from West Africa, cashews from Brazil, Vietnam, and Guinea-Bissau, and shrimp processed in India have been produced using exploitative labour practices. The lawsuit is seeking $200 for each eligible Costco member in Oregon, a group it estimates could exceed 1.1m people, as well as punitive damages and an injunction against the alleged business practices. The complaint also alleges that Costco sells hundreds of products associated with goods on the U.S. Department of Labor’s list of products made using child or forced labour, encompassing both its Kirkland private-label range and third-party brands.

The Oregonian

Fred Meyer faces pregnancy lawsuit

Fred Meyer has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over allegations that two pregnant employees at a Vancouver, Washington store were disciplined and subsequently dismissed after seeking accommodations for severe morning sickness. The agency alleges the Kroger-owned retailer refused requests including additional bathroom breaks, modified duties and excused pregnancy-related absences, in violation of federal protections for pregnant workers. The EEOC is seeking back pay and other damages for the two employees, alongside changes to Fred Meyer’s employment practices.

The Oregonian

International Criminal Court cuts ties with Axa

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has terminated its contract with French health insurer Axa. A spokesperson for the Hague-based court gave no reason for the decision, and declined to name the new health insurance provider. Reuters notes that the FT said ‌in ⁠its report that Axa had cited "risks arising from the extraterritorial application of U.S. sanctions." U.S. President Donald Trump recently urged other countries to leave the ICC, calling it "evil" and "a rogue institution."

Financial Times

Reuters

PRODUCTIVITY

AI pushes CFOs toward faster, more flexible budgeting cycles

AI, alongside geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs, inflation, and higher interest rates, is prompting CFOs to rethink traditional annual budgeting as companies seek to update forecasts and spending plans more frequently. McKinsey argues that finance leaders should prioritize areas driving the strongest revenue and earnings growth, refresh projections more often, and model a broader range of scenarios rather than relying heavily on prior-year budgets. Companies are adopting different approaches, with no clear consensus on how frequently budgets should change. Perplexity AI revisits forecasts and spending plans weekly, Asana operates a regularly updated “dynamic budget,” Ferguson retains an annual budget while refreshing forecasts monthly, and Navan reassesses progress and spending each month. However, longer-term commitments, such as headcount, facilities, and offices, remain less flexible, suggesting that AI may make budgeting more continuous without eliminating annual planning entirely.

Bloomberg

IRS chief pushes AI-first strategy

IRS chief executive Frank Bisignano has outlined plans for an “AI-first IRS,” arguing that greater use of artificial intelligence can improve employee productivity, taxpayer service, and tax collection without replacing agency jobs. The IRS made more than 4,000 hires this year, but retirements and attrition have kept its workforce effectively flat at about 74,000 employees after the agency cut more than 25,000 positions last year. The IRS is already using AI and automation to accelerate amended tax return processing, with chief information officer Kaschit Pandya saying processing times that previously averaged 12-16 weeks have fallen to under three days in some cases. The agency plans to expand its use of technology as it prepares for a more complex 2027 filing season, while Mr. Bisignano said improved technology could help reduce taxpayer wait times and narrow the gap between taxes owed and revenue collected.

Government Executive

CYBERSECURITY

AI attacks lead cyber concerns

More than half of business and technology leaders see attacks targeting artificial intelligence (AI) systems as their biggest cybersecurity preparedness gap, according to PwC’s 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights survey of 3,934 executives across 71 countries. The report found that 52% identified adversarial AI attacks as the leading gap, while organizations also face unclear accountability, data protection weaknesses, and shortages of AI security skills. Despite these concerns, 84% of security and finance leaders expect cybersecurity budgets to increase, and 58% rank AI among their top five cyber spending priorities, with responsible AI governance, platform hardening, and supply chain security among the leading areas for investment. Organizations are also deploying AI defensively, particularly for threat detection and alerting, fraud detection, and phishing detection and response.

Infosecurity Magazine

REMOTE WORK

Work from anywhere!

Bruno Solari, founder and CEO of SolComms, implemented a "Work from Anywhere August" initiative, allowing his 53 employees to work remotely from various locations, including Spain and the U.S. Solari stated: “I would have felt like a hypocrite if I was going to be there and making my team be in-office.” The trial resulted in positive employee feedback, with 76% reporting increased productivity and 90% maintaining a high work-life balance. Despite a trend of companies tightening remote work policies, SolComms experienced a modest revenue increase of 4% from July to August. Solari plans to continue this initiative in the future, emphasizing the importance of flexibility in the workplace.

CNBC

WORKFORCE

Kroger updates employee dress code

Kroger has rolled out new uniforms for its in-store employees following feedback from customers and staff, with the retailer saying the changes are intended to make employees easier for shoppers to identify. Employees will wear T-shirts or polos, while managers will wear button-down shirts or quarter-zip jackets, with uniforms following blue, red, or black color schemes depending on the store division. The rollout has been completed, and Kroger said early feedback has been positive, with employees appreciating the fit and cohesive appearance. The change marks Kroger’s first mandatory dress code in a decade and affects nearly 400,000 employees.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Unlock career growth with weak ties

Weak ties can significantly enhance career mobility, according to a study published in Science. The research, which analysed over 20m individuals over five years, found that those with more weak ties applied for more jobs and were more likely to change roles. These connections provide access to valuable information and introductions that close contacts may not offer. Additionally, cultivating relationships with peripheral contacts can lead to higher compensation and better performance evaluations, as noted in the American Journal of Sociology.

Fast Company

HEALTH & SAFETY

Small businesses fight against heat standard

Brad Churchill, CEO of US Erectors, criticizes the proposed heat standard by the Biden administration, stating it will harm small businesses in Iowa. He argues that while the mandate aims to protect workers from extreme heat, defined as temperatures over 80 degrees, it is a "solution in search of a problem." Churchill emphasizes that small businesses already prioritize worker safety by providing heat-resistant clothing and hydration. The new regulations would impose burdensome compliance requirements, including frequent temperature monitoring and mandatory breaks every two hours, which he believes could jeopardize worker safety. He calls for the Trump administration to reject the mandate and urges Congress to pass the Heat Workforce Standards Act to prevent such regulations from being enforced.

DesMoines Register.com

INTERNATIONAL

Europe’s data centre hiring surges

European data centre recruitment is accelerating as AI investment, cloud expansion and new infrastructure projects increase demand for technical workers. Indeed data show postings more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels in Spain, Italy and Ireland by August 2026, while broader technology hiring remained weaker across most countries analysed. Data centre roles also typically command higher salaries, including premiums of 65% for management positions in Italy and 49% in the UK. Indeed economists Aubrey Woessner and Pawel Adrjan said these jobs “ask for more skills, on average” than comparable positions, including IT systems, cybersecurity and English-language capabilities. Hiring spans more than 500 European companies, with IT infrastructure, software development, management, maintenance and project management dominating recruitment. Skills shortages could intensify as the EU seeks to triple data centre capacity within five to seven years.

euro news

AND FINALLY...

Iced coffee, hot debate

The debate over Gen Z candidates arriving at interviews with iced coffee has sparked discussions about professionalism. Caitlin Wehniainen, a corporate recruiter, noted this trend on TikTok. Laura Conway, candidate experience manager at Gi Group, emphasised that employers should focus on a candidate's suitability rather than superficial details. Experts like Kirsten Barnes, CEO of Bright Network, highlighted the need for teaching unwritten workplace rules. Emma McDowell, head of candidate delivery at Flex Legal, pointed out that Gen Z must develop analogue skills to succeed in a changing work environment.

The I

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