Jobs market ‘stops moving’ as employment costs weigh on hirers Economics The UK’s jobs market has “largely stopped moving” as employment costs weigh on businesses and block jobseekers’ progression into the world of work. Private sector employment intentions are stuck at the lowest ever level outside of the covid-19 pandemic, at plus 11, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The organisation, which [...]
Four charts revealing scale of Andy Burnham’s economic challenge Economics Andy Burnham has harboured ambitions to be Prime Minister for over a decade. But the economy he is inheriting will take the shine off his lofty hopes – just look at these four charts. As he stepped out onto Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minster, Andy Burnham allowed himself to break out [...]
IMF warns Bank of England against cutting interest rates Economics The Bank of England must keep interest rates on hold for as long as risks from the Iran war persist, the International Monetary Fund has said. In its annual temperature check of Britain’s economic outlook, the fund warned rate setters to keep monetary policy “sufficiently restrictive” to avoid sparking a painful bout of inflation that [...]
Adobe and LinkedIn target AI skills gap in marketing roles June 16, 2026 Adobe and LinkedIn have launched a new AI training programme for marketers as businesses accelerate their adoption of AI and demand for AI-skilled workers surges. Together, the firms are rolling out a free programme through LinkedIn Learning, Fortune reported, offering role-specific courses covering digital marketing, content creation, social media, communications, data and analytics. The launch [...]
When AI’s taken all the work, what will we all do? June 12, 2026 The possible abundances of the AI-powered future mean that our lives won't be nasty, brutish and short – but will they be devoid of meaning?
Labour voters lead AI adoption as public remains split on impact June 1, 2026 Labour supporters are more likely to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude than voters of any other major political party, new polling has found. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters found Labour backers are the heaviest users of AI assistants, while two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters overall have used [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey: Interest rates hike may not be needed May 29, 2026 The Bank of England may not raise interest rates in response to the Iran war and has already effectively tightened monetary policy by taking the prospect of future rate cuts off the table, governor Andrew Bailey has said. In a speech in Iceland, the central banking chief said that inflation is “likely to go higher” [...]
Standard Chartered bets on AI as it cuts ‘lower value human capital’ May 19, 2026 Standard Chartered has announced plans to slash almost 8,000 back-office roles, stoking fears about the wide scale threat artificial intelligence poses to the global job market. The London-headquartered lender said it would reduce over 15 per cent of its support functions by 2030, equivalent to around 7,800 jobs, as boss Bill Winters pushed through a [...]
Airport jobs at risk as Iran conflict hits flights May 3, 2026 Thousands of UK airport jobs are at risk as airlines cut schedules amid disruption linked to the Iran conflict, as the government is urged to support to protect workers. Ground handling firms and unions have warned ministers that the impact on employment could rival, or even exceed, the pandemic, as reduced flight volumes threaten a [...]
Hiring freezes loom as business confidence remains near record low May 1, 2026 British business leaders are bracing for hiring freezes as headcount expectations dropped into negative territory again, according to new data from the Institute of Directors. The IoD’s economic confidence Index edged up to -64 in April from -76 in March, remaining close to historic lows. But headcount expectations slipped to minus three from zero in [...]