Author: Asher J

On 1 February 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2026–27, describing it as a “Yuva Shakti” budget with a strong focus on employment, skilling and workforce development. The government allocated ₹32,666 crore to the Labour Ministry, ₹9,886 crore for skill development—marking a 62 percent increase—and ₹20,083 crore toward employment-related programmes. While the headline allocations are significant, the immediate impact on salaries, hiring and workplace practices appears limited. Many of the proposed initiatives are long-term structural measures that may take several years to influence labour markets, talent availability and wage growth. Limited Direct Relief on Employee Compensation…

Deloitte plans to roll out new job titles for its more than 181,000 employees in the United States starting 1 June. The changes will also introduce a new senior role, “leader,” alongside existing positions such as partners, principals, and managing directors. According to media reports, the updated titles will be applied across all departments and reflected in both internal and external documents and processes. Some employees may have already been informed of their new titles ahead of the official rollout. The company is modernising its organisational structure to move away from conventional work titles traditionally associated with consulting roles. The…

The Madras High Court has ruled that denying maternity leave to women government employees for a third pregnancy is legally unsustainable. The decision was delivered by a Division Bench of Justices R Suresh Kumar and Shamim Ahmed while hearing a petition filed by a woman whose maternity leave request was rejected in December 2025. The government had rejected the request based on a clarification that Tamil Nadu Fundamental Rules did not provide maternity leave for a third child. The petitioner argued that previous High Court rulings had allowed maternity leave for third pregnancies, and that the government’s denial ignored established…

Emirates Airline has announced plans to recruit nearly 20,000 operational staff by the end of the decade as part of a major fleet and network expansion. The hiring initiative is tied to the delivery of new aircraft, which will be deployed to both new destinations and existing routes to increase flight frequency. Adel Al Redha, deputy president and chief operations officer at Emirates, said during a media briefing in Dubai that the recruitment will focus on a range of operational roles, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, technicians, and airport staff. The 20,000 figure applies specifically to operational positions, with additional…

Akasa Air has resumed hiring pilots after a pause of nearly 18 months, following improvements in aircraft delivery timelines from Boeing. The hiring restart comes as the budget airline prepares to expand its fleet in the coming weeks. The airline currently operates 32 aircraft and expects to add two more by the end of February 2026, taking its total fleet size to 34 aircraft, subject to deliveries proceeding as scheduled. According to statements made by Akasa Air Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube, the airline is in a stable financial position and currently employs around 750 pilots operating a fleet of…

Amazon’s next phase of corporate workforce reductions became visible earlier than planned following an internal communication error within Amazon Web Services (AWS), causing confusion among employees ahead of formal notifications. Earlier in the week, an internal email was circulated to AWS staff referring to a forthcoming team meeting. The wording implied that some employees had already been notified about job losses, even though official communications had not yet been issued. The email was later retracted, and the meeting was cancelled, leaving employees uncertain about the status and scope of the anticipated changes. The message was linked to an ongoing restructuring…

Amazon India has rolled out road-safety awareness and training workshops across multiple cities for its delivery associates, partners and truck drivers, covering more than 80,000 personnel across its operations network. The month-long programme is aimed at promoting safer driving practices and responsible road behaviour across Amazon’s last-mile and mid-mile logistics operations nationwide. As part of the initiative, participants will undergo mandatory on-ground training that includes interactive sessions on helmet and seat belt compliance, safe riding and driving practices, speed management, distraction prevention and emergency preparedness. Practical drills focusing on lane discipline, traffic signage awareness, maintaining safe vehicle distance, hydration breaks…

Autodesk plans to eliminate around 1,000 roles, representing nearly 7 per cent of its global workforce, as the design and engineering software company completes a multi-year transformation of how it engages with customers, solution providers and resellers. The company said a significant portion of the reductions will affect customer-facing sales functions. Autodesk clarified that the decision is linked to the completion of its go-to-market (GTM) transformation and is not driven by artificial intelligence adoption, macroeconomic conditions or an ongoing cost-cutting initiative. In a letter to employees, Andrew Anagnost, President and Chief Executive Officer of Autodesk, said the move follows organisational…

Microsoft has discontinued employee access to its internal library services and several paid business and technology news subscriptions, according to people familiar with the matter and internal documentation. The change follows Microsoft’s workforce reduction of approximately 15,000 roles last year and began quietly in late 2025. Publishers were notified through automated communications that their contracts would expire at the end of existing terms. No company-wide internal announcement was issued, and subscriptions were allowed to lapse as contracts concluded. Among the services affected was Strategic News Service (SNS), a technology and business analysis provider that had been available to Microsoft employees…

Ericsson has announced plans to reduce its workforce in Sweden by around 1,600 roles, representing nearly 12% of its employees in the country. The move is part of the telecom equipment maker’s ongoing efforts to control costs and boost operational efficiency amid continued pressure on global telecom spending. The latest reduction builds on earlier layoffs in Sweden, including 1,200 positions cut in March 2024, and a larger global restructuring in early 2023 that affected roughly 8,500 roles worldwide. The company has also implemented recent job cuts in its Canadian operations, signalling that its cost-control measures remain active across multiple regions.…