AGP Executive Report

Skills-for-jobs push: Bangladesh plans to make 45 lakh previously illiterate adults “skill-based literate” by 2031, linking adult education to employment via its ALPHA programme. Workforce development in practice: Missouri advisers in the US are getting industry tours and training from rootEd Alliance to better guide students on real careers. Education quality controls: South Korea will tighten international-student policy by verifying credentials, supervising study-abroad agencies, and barring substandard universities from hosting international students. School readiness: Qatar’s MoEHE is ramping up field monitoring at the start of the 2026–27 year, checking attendance and classroom stability. Pay and talent mobility: Korea’s seniority pay still dominates in large firms, with 83% using it—potentially slowing talent shifts. Public-sector HR + AI: Ghana and Burkina Faso are using HR Café to share public sector reforms, human capital development, and responsible AI adoption. Cost pressure meets HR: Ireland’s HSE has deployed an eight-person multidisciplinary “Cost Recovery Team” including HR expertise to tackle hospital overspending. Hiring outlook: Taiwan’s Q4 hiring sentiment improved, led by the information sector. People leadership spotlight: A new interview highlights how a UK CPO role is evolving, including board diversity and office-return stance. Workplace tech training: Dubai Chambers is rolling out agentic AI training for 14,000 private firms via its e-learning platform.

Ghana–Burkina Faso HR Café: Ghana’s Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe Addo pushed ethical AI and tighter public-sector online conduct, including new social media governance guidelines, as both countries deepen human capital and administrative cross-learning. Workforce Restructuring: Kuwait’s education ministry plans to terminate 7,019 teachers to cut a KD 42m surplus, while recruitment continues where shortages exist. Migrant Worker Protections: The UK will let modern slavery victims on skilled worker visas switch to any occupation for the rest of their visa, aiming to reduce exploitation via sponsorship. Compliance for Chat Work: Jatheon launched Slack archiving to help compliance and legal teams retain searchable, policy-controlled records. HR Leadership & Well-being: St. Kitts–Nevis HR professionals meet to discuss leading under pressure and workplace resilience. Public Service Integrity: Namibia’s PM told public servants HR systems must stay people-centred and reject corruption-for-jobs practices. Hiring Rules Tightened: Bangladesh Bank requires verified certificates and competitive exams for entry-level bank roles. Labor Tensions: Boeing engineers voted to reject contract offers and authorize a strike, threatening 737 MAX production timelines.

Disaster Preparedness: Indonesia’s President Prabowo orders a major jump in disaster mitigation funding, stressing more helicopters, pumps and fire equipment plus stronger human resources planning. Labour Mobility & Diplomacy: India’s MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh highlights Indian workers’ role in cementing ties with Saudi Arabia and discusses labour and manpower cooperation with Saudi counterparts. Workplace Wellbeing & Culture: A new film trailer spotlights toxic corporate management through an HR manager character, underlining how performance pressure can collide with employee wellbeing. HR Awards: The TEFL Org is named among the UK’s Best Workplaces in Education and Training, citing flexible remote-first work and improved training satisfaction. Recruitment & Hiring: Samsung Group launches second-half 2026 open recruitment across 19 affiliates, with aptitude and software/design assessments. Pay Equity Compliance: The EU Pay Transparency Directive is exposing payroll infrastructure fragility for multinationals still catching up on national rollouts. Migrant Worker Benefits: South Korea reports record unclaimed insurance benefits for migrant workers, urging expanded recovery efforts. Healthcare Workforce & Delivery: Sri Lanka is urged to shift from bureaucracy to practical health outcomes, including stronger HR management and disease prevention. Digital Health Expansion: Pakistan’s Balochistan plans satellite connectivity and telemedicine for 1,500 health centres, alongside recruitment and promotions.

Workplace Inclusion & Risk: Peloton is facing fresh antisemitism allegations, with a lawsuit claiming discriminatory treatment of Jewish employees and a separate complaint tied to instructor content. Hiring & Talent Ops: Indian firms are moving faster to make offers, but long notice periods still delay starts by about a month, keeping HR teams stuck between candidate drop-offs and counteroffers. AI in Recruiting: HR vendors are leaning on AI to spot candidate fraud, as applicants increasingly use AI to falsify resumes, identities, and interviews. Global Labour Cooperation: India’s Kirti Vardhan Singh met Saudi counterparts to strengthen labour and manpower ties, signaling continued cross-border workforce policy focus. Workplace Culture & Fairness: A Mumbai Big 4 intern’s Reddit post alleging a manager asked about caste is reigniting debate over discrimination in corporate India. People Strategy in GCCs: India’s global capacity centres are shifting toward fractional senior leadership as hiring slows and specialized talent remains scarce. Policy & Equality: Bangladesh’s parliament speaker urged equal participation of women and men to unlock the demographic dividend.

HR Leadership & Governance: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is expected to appoint a deputy CEO soon, using existing candidate panels, to run day-to-day operations including HR, finance, internal audit, IT monitoring and pilgrim facilities under a tighter chain of command. Data Privacy & Staffing Risk: HumanEdge, Inc. is facing a class-action investigation after a breach may have exposed names and Social Security numbers, with Edelson Lechtzin LLP stepping in for affected workers, job applicants and clients. Workforce Policy & Compliance: Malaysia’s government is again under scrutiny over Bangladeshi migrant worker recruitment, after prior hiring pauses tied to recruitment fees, fake job syndicates and forced labour concerns. Public Sector HR Integrity: A nursing assistant in Lesotho allegedly worked for eight years using a fraudulent licence, prompting employment termination and a referral to police. Education & Skills Investment: The World Bank approved a $3.5m grant to assess and plan Jordan’s digital transformation of public schools, including connectivity readiness and device pilots. Global HR Tech: SAP is doubling down on AI agents for enterprise operations, aiming to deploy hundreds of assistants across functions like HR and finance.

Education & Skills: India’s Education Minister Pralhad Joshi marked SRCC’s centenary by citing 4.5 crore higher-education enrolments, 2.3 lakh startups and a push for skills and NEP implementation. Workforce Mobility & Compliance: Deel data says 77% of Indian firms plan to expand global hiring in the next 12–18 months, with pay premiums for scarce specialised talent. HR Tech & Trust: Qatar experts are calling for a unified electronic sick-leave platform to cut fraud and streamline HR administration as AI makes document tampering easier. Labour & Rights: Starbucks boycott continues as workers press for a $17 wage, staffing and protections, with unions backing the campaign amid NLRB uncertainty. AI, IP & Hiring Risk: OpenAI’s trade-secrets fight with a former researcher is back in focus after Sam Altman praised Apple’s secrecy—raising questions for HR around mobility and protection. Global Hiring Guidance: UAE published tips for foreigners to find work without a sponsor, including a jobseeker visit visa and official portal routes. Leadership Appointments: FedEx Philippines named Garrick Thompson as managing director, overseeing a 1,300+ employee team and trade compliance operations.

Labor Market Signals: Economists say the “September Surge” is real, pointing to seasonal job-posting patterns and a U.S. jobs report that held unemployment at 4.1% as hiring picked up into September. Workforce Policy & Compliance (Saudi Arabia): Saudi HR says employers can use an AI-supported Qiwa service to correct expatriate job titles to match actual duties, aligning records with the national occupational classification guide. HR, Pay & Bargaining (India): A four-year wage settlement at Mumbai’s NCPA lifts monthly pay by Rs 7,250 and adds a Rs 50,000 annual bonus, following a certified-union shift and prior disputes. Workplace Safety & Inclusion (UK/US): A UK tribunal hears claims of racial harassment and discrimination at Magellan Aerospace UK; in Ohio, a fire captain was terminated after an outside investigation found racist remarks. Skills & Productivity (Cambodia): The Skills Development Fund links special economic zone employers with training partners to build workforce skills and raise industrial productivity. Education & Talent Pipeline (Vietnam): Vietnam opens the 2026–27 school year with a push for substantive education reform and expanded multi-level boarding schools. AI & Jobs: Bill Gates warns AI could permanently erase jobs and urges governments to plan for labor disruption, especially for younger entrants.

AI at Work: PwC’s US Chief People Officer says boards and CEOs now expect HR to deliver measurable capability, while the firm rolls out AI tools to 80,000 staff and tracks outcomes via employee nominations. EU AI Act Compliance: Anthropic says it added watermarks to Claude output to meet the EU AI Act deadline, a reminder that marketing AI may face disclosure and manipulation limits. Global Payroll Friction: A new look at cross-border payroll calls fragmentation an “infrastructure problem,” citing billions in inefficiencies from FX markups, manual errors, and compliance gaps. Health Benefits Pressure: Marsh forecasts health benefit costs rising 8.2% in 2027, with a new $480,000-a-year pancreatic cancer drug adding to employer cost stress. Workforce Retention: Cannabis retailers report very high budtender turnover, pushing employers to rethink pay and benefits to keep staff. Education-to-Work: A dual-enrollment pilot in Delaware paid students while earning college credits, building a hospitality and tourism talent pipeline. Labor Relations: Logan Health primary care providers voted no confidence in leadership, citing morale and patient-care concerns. Work Permits & Exams: Nigeria’s INEC offered biometric support to JAMB to strengthen exam integrity. HR Leadership: Avante Corp approved stock options for a senior employee, reflecting ongoing talent incentives.

Workforce Readiness: A new global survey of 880 HR leaders across 11 markets finds 87% of organisations weren’t well prepared for major change, with only 13% ready across four-plus areas and productivity declines hitting 22% of the least-prepared firms. Employer Health Benefits: CMS and the SBA renamed ICHRA to the CHOICE Arrangement, signaling the next step in tax-advantaged employer health coverage for small businesses. Job Cuts & Restructuring: Volkswagen plans another 50,000 job cuts as part of “Future Plan 2030,” while Uber moves to cut 3,300 roles globally to flatten hierarchy and speed investment. HR Leadership & Talent: UiPath reshuffled executive leadership and added a new board member; Origin brought in former Mercer CEO Martine Ferland as adviser. Global HR Policy: Nigeria assumed chairmanship of the UN Fifth Committee, pledging budget and HR reforms focused on transparency and results. Skills & AI in HR: A Southeast Asia discussion stresses AI should augment human judgement in workforce and payroll decisions, not replace it. Workplace Pay: Japan lifted minimum wages again, and NCPA workers in India won a wage settlement with higher monthly pay and bonuses.

Workplace fairness in focus: Australia’s Fair Work Commission slammed Panda Mart’s “no dismissal” claim in a case where a worker was allegedly dismissed over a false name and visa limits, calling the process “egregious” and ordering lost earnings after finding no valid reason or chance to respond. Hiring and skills pressure: A new construction workforce survey found more firms cut headcount than expanded it, but 73% still plan to hire—while shortages and missing licenses/certificates remain the biggest barrier. Benefits as retention strategy: A Labor Day roundup highlights how stronger benefits can reduce turnover costs for small businesses, with employers increasingly treating benefits as a competitive HR lever. Tech and HR modernization: SAP and NTT DATA announced an AI-enabled HR transformation using SuccessFactors and a unified data approach, aiming to streamline people processes and workforce planning. Global labor policy moves: The U.S. is moving to withhold HUD grants from sanctuary cities, while Saudi Arabia set a 90-day deadline for employers to secure work permits for new expatriates. Leadership and talent signals: Daversa promoted Caroline Rubach to Managing Director, citing her role building executive teams across deep tech and critical industries.

AI in Hiring: A new HireRight-backed survey suggests most candidates want human-led support after applying and before interviews (70%), with onboarding also leaning human (64%), while AI is already being used by 17% of North American employers for talent acquisition and 35% in Asia-Pacific. Workforce Planning & Pay: Singapore’s SNEF says 51% of employers plan to freeze or moderate wages in 2027, citing rising manpower costs and uncertainty. Restructuring & Jobs: Uber is cutting about 3,300 roles (10%) to flatten management and push investment in ride-hailing, delivery and robotaxis. Public Sector AI Training: Türkiye will require basic AI literacy training for all civil servants, with HR tracking completion and micro-certificates. Global Hiring Compliance: Vietnam’s Decree 283/2026 tightens penalties for foreign-worker violations from Sept. 10, adding offences around notifications, assignment mismatches and falsified documents. UAE Hiring Tech: The UAE launches a digital work permit service for overseas hiring, aiming to streamline employer-side processes for Indian jobseekers. Youth Jobs: South Korea’s government and top business groups back expanded youth hiring and internships through public-private cooperation. Health Workforce Strain: New Zealand’s Health New Zealand leadership is being criticized as not aligned with its workforce, raising concerns about system readiness.

Workforce Restructuring: Uber plans to cut about 3,300 corporate roles (around 10% of global staff) to flatten management layers, reduce “micro-teams,” and simplify operations as it shifts more focus toward ride-sharing, delivery, and robotaxis. HR Tech & Adoption: Darwinbox launched Darwinbox Cortex on the Slack Marketplace, aiming to handle HR requests, approvals, and onboarding inside day-to-day work chats. AI for Responsible Work: McLean & Company rolled out a “Human-Centric AI Program” to help organizations move from AI experimentation to responsible, scalable adoption. Public-Sector Talent Building: Canada launched an Energy and Electricity Workforce Alliance to address skills shortages and grid modernization needs. Employee Wellbeing: Qatar’s Hamad Medical Corporation’s HR wellbeing unit was designated a WHO Collaborating Center for workplace health and mental health in healthcare settings. Local Hiring Needs: Montgomery Township in the US is running parallel searches for a township manager and fire chief, plus staffing roles for its recreation center. Global Mobility Policy: Malaysia denied a claim it will hire 200,000 Bangladeshi workers in six months, saying it was not an official position. Workplace Equity & Pay Conversations: A new HR Q&A tackles what to do when a job’s scope and pay don’t match the offer after accepting a role.

AI and HR redesign: A new wave of HR thinking argues that “less managers, more AI” isn’t working as intended, with managers reporting their roles are changing mostly on their own and resistance remains strongest around pay, promotions and performance reviews. Workplace experience gap: Gallup data highlights falling engagement and rising stress, underscoring how benefits and hybrid policies can fail when day-to-day work doesn’t match the promise. Religious accommodation in hiring and scheduling: Apple agreed to pay $150,000 and update its policy after an EEOC lawsuit over denying a Jewish Sabbath accommodation and later firing the employee. Labour and safety pressure points: Ghana’s air traffic safety workers urged President Mahama to intervene over alleged intimidation at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, while a Montreal airport worker’s death renews scrutiny of subcontractor safety practices. Skills and workforce planning: Singapore launched a job redesign starter kit to help built-environment firms prepare for CORENET X, and the Philippines’ Civil Service Commission budget includes modernization funding to digitize personnel management. Education for AI-ready talent: India’s NCERT said revised classes 10–12 textbooks are being prepared “in mission mode,” explicitly to help students use AI responsibly. Global hiring and mobility: Malaysia denied plans to hire 200,000 Bangladeshi workers in six months, while Taiwan’s labor minister is set to visit China for an APEC HR meeting.

Workforce & HR Leadership: San Juan Regional Medical Center named Jennifer Erickson as its new chief HR officer, bringing 18+ years of healthcare HR leadership from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Workplace Recognition: Jackson Healthcare was ranked No. 4 on Atlanta’s Healthiest Employers list for its wellbeing model spanning clinic care, mental health support, fitness, childcare, and learning programs. Local Workforce Development: Lyon County will review a workforce development agreement with Local Workforce Development Area 1 (KansasWorks), plus an Adult Education Week proclamation, during its Thursday action session. HR Risk & Compliance: A UK tribunal awarded an HMRC trainee £16,506 after a manager’s “listening device” comment tied to her Russian accent was found to be direct race discrimination. Cybersecurity & People Risk: A new report warns insider threats are rising, with negligent insiders and unapproved AI tools driving costly incidents. Policy & Jobs: Canada’s employer group urged updates to the Canada Labour Code to improve labour stability in federally regulated transport supply chains amid trade tensions. Education Funding Backlash: Fresno Unified parents questioned cuts to enrichment funding and hundreds of jobs while senior pay packages drew scrutiny.

AI-native HR & hiring tech: Darwinbox named Pannie Sia regional VP for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia as it pushes its AI-native Cortex platform across the employee lifecycle. AI in the workplace: Taiwan reports 96% of professionals already use AI at work, with confidence high even as reskilling needs rise. Recruitment automation: Cooper launched an AI-native hiring platform that uses AI agents to source, screen, interview and track candidates while keeping recruiters in control. Workforce policy & compliance: Argon & Co says ERP transformation success hinges on modern PMO governance, not just technology—an issue as Middle East modernization accelerates. Labour mobility: Thailand and Malaysia plan a joint working group to update cross-border recruitment, employment and repatriation rules. Education & skills: Nepal’s PM urged action on teacher shortages and education quality as the new academic year starts. HR in crisis: Police Scotland says nearly 3,000 officers are sidelined on modified duties, raising frontline capacity concerns. Global HR spotlight: Junior Enterprises World Conference 2026 drew 4,800 student entrepreneurs from 40+ countries in Belo Horizonte.

Workplace AI Regulation: California’s AB 1883 would bar employers from using AI to surveil workers’ emotional state or collect “neural data,” with limited safety and national-security exceptions. Employee Development Tech: Amazon is rolling out AI tools for personalized career pathing, training and internal opportunity discovery inside existing HR workflows. Retention Strategy: Asure50’s keynote argues retention is becoming a growth lever as job creation stays weak and worker supply tightens. HR & Labor Risk in Practice: A former Planned Parenthood HR vice president sues over alleged retaliation tied to disability leave/accommodations and a reported abortion concern. Global HR in Conflict Zones: Ukraine plans to open 25,000 schools Sept. 1 with expanded shelter access and pay raises for education workers, while local authorities manage strike-risk decisions. Workforce Planning Focus: TalentBridge says strategic workforce planning beats reactive hiring by connecting internal talent data to business outcomes. HR Compliance & Privacy: Malaysia launches an “AI for the People” programme to train 100,000 youths for a changing labor market. Operational HR Impact: Amazon cuts 121 jobs in Washington state, including HR roles in Seattle and corporate/fulfillment positions in Bellevue and Sumner.