Zero-hour crackdown could wipe out seasonal work, Labour warned Retail Labour has been warned that its controversial crackdown on zero-hour contracts could eradicate seasonal work and put even 20-hour contracts under threat. The government has said it could class 20-hour weeks as a low-hour contract and force firms to offer permanent terms after as little as 12 weeks of work. Retail and hospitality firms have [...]
Jobs crisis: UK unemployment to hit highest level in a decade Business Joblessness is set to hit its highest level in more than a decade as unemployment looks set to increase by 400,000 under the Labour government, according to a top business body. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warns of a softening labour market, driven by falling vacancies and economic uncertainty, with unemployment projected to rise [...]
Workplace NDA ban may lead to more tribunals Legal A government proposal to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of workplace harassment or discrimination may make it harder for disputes to be settled outside of tribunals. The proposal, ‘Make Work Pay’, which is open for consultation until 8 July and part of the recent overhaul of the Employment Rights Act, would ban [...]
Hollywood Bowl boss: ‘Incredibly painful’ tax hikes make it harder to hire May 27, 2026 The boss of Hollywood Bowl has hit out at Labour’s “incredibly painful” hikes to national insurance and the minimum wage for making it harder to employ workers. Stephen Burns, chief executive of the UK’s largest tenpin bowling operator, told City AM that Labour policy has made it “significantly more expensive to employ somebody than it [...]
‘Delighted to be wrong’ – Sam Altman changes tune on AI job apocalypse fears May 26, 2026 OpenAI boss Sam Altman has softened his warnings over AI wiping out white-collar work, saying the feared “jobs apocalypse” has so far failed to materialise despite the tech rapidly reshaping business decisions and operations. Speaking on Tuesday, Altman admitted he had expected AI to eliminate far more entry-level office jobs by now following the launch [...]
David Lammy rejects higher pay rise for judges amid recruitment crisis May 26, 2026 David Lammy turned down an independent recommendation for a higher judicial pay increase, instead approving a 3.5 per cent rise amid government efforts to tackle recruitment challenges for senior judges. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report, published last week, recommended a 3.8 per cent pay increase across the judiciary, estimated to cost taxpayers around [...]
James Reed: UK needs entrepreneurs desperately. So I’m gonna fund them May 26, 2026 My father founded Reed in 1960 with just £75. My new fund will help create the next generation of entrepreneurs, says James Reed.
Collective redundancy reforms could saddle firms with ‘perpetual’ bureaucracy May 25, 2026 The government has been warned against law changes on collective redundancy which businesses say could swamp bosses in more costs and bureaucracy. As part of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, the government is set to require businesses to undertake a consultation of the entire firm whenever they make a certain number of redundancies. Under existing rules, [...]
Rising hiring costs push British businesses to the brink May 21, 2026 UK businesses are on the brink due to the government’s highly contentious employment rights agenda and cost hikes, following the first provisions of the Employment Rights Act, which came into force in April. According to new research from Employment Hero, an AI-powered employment platform, more than half of UK businesses feel employing staff has “become more [...]
Deloitte: UK Gen Z and Millennials delaying milestones and living ‘payslip to payslip’ May 13, 2026 British Gen Z and Millennials are delaying major life decisions as they live “payslip to payslip”, according to data shared exclusively with City AM from Big Four giant Deloitte. The data, based on findings from 806 respondents as part of the firm’s annual Gen Z and Millennial Survey, revealed that around 40 per cent of [...]