Christmas parties in June? World Cup defenders on LinkedIn?

June 19, 2026

As many of us swelter and watch the football and dream of holidays, some are planning Christmas parties. Meanwhile, a new World Cup hero is hailed, thanks to LinkedIn LinkedIn is a bit like a Facebook for business. Some use…

What’s missing in the Neet skills puzzle?

June 19, 2026

Reports about high youth unemployment sit alongside surveys showing persistent skills shortages. Robin Adda looks at how we can solve the conundrum where young people can’t find work and employers can’t find talent. The latest report from Skills England paints…

Number of UK job vacancies increased in May

June 18, 2026

The UK jobs market showed signs of resilience in May despite continuing economic and political uncertainty, with the number of active job vacancies rising modestly. According to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Labour Market Tracker, there were 1.62…

World Cup: Absence and ‘banter’ management on HR radar

June 18, 2026

With the World Cup finals in the USA now well under way, HR experts are continuing to warn organisations over the potential for workplace disruption because of absences and ‘banter’. Lisa Patmore, employment partner at Dorsey & Whitney, warned that…

Accenture: HR must take the lead on AI agents

June 18, 2026

Major changes in how C-suite roles are structured are needed in response to the rise of AI, the chief executive of Accenture UK and Ireland has said, with HR directors taking the lead. Matt Prebble said HR directors will have…

New hires fall to lowest level since 2021

June 18, 2026

Businesses continue to be more cautious in recruiting new staff as official labour market figures continue to show a falling number of vacancies. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that early job vacancy estimates for March to May suggest…

AO moves jobs out of UK despite boom in profits

June 18, 2026

Online electrical retailer AO World is offshoring up to 200 UK call centre roles to South Africa despite an increase in profits. The retailer said the move was “in response to ongoing inflationary cost pressures, and particularly rising employment costs”.…

UK CEOs still most likely to be over-50 and male – study

June 18, 2026

UK chief executives still tend to be over-50 and male, research has suggested, with British boardrooms continuing to fall short when it comes to promoting youth and diversity compared with their European counterparts. The Route to the Top Europe 2026…

Usage of IR35 tool provided by HMRC in sharp decline

June 18, 2026

Usage of HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (Cest) tool fell by a further 43% during the 2025-26 tax year, continuing a dramatic downward trend that has seen overall usage collapse by 71% in just two years. A freedom of…

Acas survey highlights gap in conflict management skills

June 17, 2026

Over a quarter of workers think managers and unions are failing to prevent conflict, according to a new survey by Acas. The conciliation service polled a sample of businesses and employees ahead of expanded rights for trade unions at work…