News From Agencies

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• 79% of HR leaders say poor employee experience harms business results: Survey

  Scarlettabbott’s World Changers 2025 report reveals that poor employee experience is directly linked to weaker business performance, with 79% of HR leaders agreeing. Key challenges include a lack of leadership buy-in, misaligned values, and ineffective reward systems. The report also highlights concerns over rigid return-to-office policies and AI’s impact on employees. It calls for people-focused strategies to improve employee engagement and drive business success.

  

• 25% of employees say work negatively impacts their wellbeing: Survey

  Despite progress in areas like pay, flexibility, and supportive management, work continues to harm employee wellbeing across the UK, reveals CIPD’s 2025 Good Work Index. Based on a survey of 5,000 workers, the findings highlight a persistent health and retention crisis linked to poor job design, excessive workloads, and inadequate line management support.

  

• BlackRock to cut 300 jobs

  BlackRock is laying off roughly 300 employees, over 1% of its staff, in its second round of job cuts this year, even after expanding headcount by 14% through major acquisitions. The decision reflects a broader Wall Street push to control labour costs while accelerating growth in private markets.

  

• Amazon cuts jobs in its books division

  Amazon has cut fewer than 100 jobs in its books division, including at Goodreads and Kindle, to improve efficiency and align with its business roadmap. This move is part of CEO Andy Jassy’s broader effort to reduce bureaucracy across the company while continuing to add jobs in other areas. The cuts highlight the need for workforce adaptability amid ongoing corporate restructuring.

  

• Alphabet to continue hiring Engineers despite AI advances, says Sundar Pichai

  Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed plans to grow the company’s engineering workforce through 2026, contrasting with major tech firms that are cutting jobs amid AI investments. He emphasised AI as a tool to enhance engineer productivity, not replace jobs, and highlighted growth opportunities in autonomous vehicles, quantum computing, and YouTube’s expansion. This approach marks a shift toward investing in human talent despite recent layoffs at Alphabet.

  

• Africa’s industrial moment hinges on job creation

  Africa is on the brink of industrial transformation, but success hinges on closing key workforce gaps. The UNIDO Africa Industrial Development Report stresses urgent reforms in clean energy access, job creation, and industrial infrastructure. With youth unemployment rising and decent jobs lagging behind growth, the report calls for private sector inclusion, coordinated policy delivery, and stronger digital governance to convert potential into employment-driven progress.

  

• Procter & Gamble to slash 7,000 jobs over the next two years

  Procter & Gamble will cut 7,000 jobs, about 15% of its non-manufacturing workforce, over two years as part of a global restructuring plan aimed at countering weak consumer demand and rising costs from tariff-related uncertainty. The move will streamline operations by reducing team sizes, broadening roles, and possibly exiting select markets and product categories. Executives cited growing geopolitical and economic unpredictability, noting that the changes are an acceleration of ongoing efforts to stay competitive in a challenging business environment.

  

• UAE workforce leads the Arab region in AI skills, report find

  UAE employees are leading the Arab world in AI and digital skills, with a 344% surge in Gen AI course enrolments and 13% of the workforce actively upskilling on Coursera, the highest in the region. With 87% of employers prioritising tech skills and 72% reporting skill gaps, the focus is now on developing future-ready talent across AI, cybersecurity, and leadership.

  

• UAE rolls out upgraded work permit system to streamline overseas hiring

  The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has launched an upgraded digital platform to streamline work permit applications for hiring foreign workers. Available via the ministry’s website and mobile app, the AI-supported system simplifies the process through integrated services, faster document verification, and reduced manual steps, especially for mobile users. The move aims to enhance recruitment efficiency and workforce compliance.

  

• Amazon adds over 90,000 jobs in high-unemployment areas across Europe: Report

  Amazon contributed over €41 billion to Europe’s GDP in 2024 and directly employed 150,000 people across the EU, with over 90,000 roles based in high-unemployment regions. Its investments, over €55 billion in European infrastructure and workforce last year, are creating jobs where they’re needed most. In France’s Hauts-de-France region alone, Amazon has added 6,000 jobs, with 94% of locals citing job creation as a key benefit. Looking ahead, major investments in cloud infrastructure across Germany, the UK, and France are set to support thousands more jobs and drive long-term workforce development.

  

• Alight appoints Donna Dorsey as Chief Human Resources Officer

  Donna Dorsey joins Alight as CHRO from International Motors, where she was leading HR initiatives as Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer. In her new role, she will lead Alight’s global people strategy, focusing on talent development, organisational effectiveness, company culture, and employee experiences and looks forward to creating a workplace where all employees can successfully drive business results.