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☆ Investing in AI: how to avoid the hype
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Naomi Rovnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SummarySummary Companies AI boom brings fresh challenge for investorsAI-themed stocks highly valuedStick with big tech not AI stocks - investorsLONDON, May 26(Reuters) - Experienced tech investors are hunting for undervalued opportunities in an over-valued space. Investors are chasing exposure to generative AI, the technology run by ChatGPT that learns from analysing vast datasets to generate text, images and computer code. Businesses are trying to use generative AI to speed up video editing, recruitment and even legal work. GAM's Hawtin said he has also hunted out companies that provide the "picks and shovels," necessary for enabling new AI technology. Amazon's Bedrock service, for example, lets companies customise generative AI models rather than invest in developing them themselves.

☆ Ron DeSantis: What to expect from his presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Ron DeSantis is expected to make his presidential campaign official next week. WOLF: More than any other Republican, DeSantis has generated national media scrutiny and buzz that he could be the candidate best positioned to challenge Trump. Are he and his advisers concerned that all that attention has not translated to a stronger position in GOP primary polls? CONTORNO: As we previously reported several months ago, DeSantis’ political operation believes he has the money and the name recognition to launch a national campaign out of the gate. CONTORNO: Some of Trump’s top advisers once ran DeSantis’ political operation, and several former Trump operatives and donors are now in DeSantis’ camp, so the sniping is already becoming pronounced.

☆ Uber is trying to sway Chicago's mayor and Illinois Democrats against a bill seeking to make rides safer for customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An Illinois bill could hold companies like Uber and Lyft liable for harm done to passengers. Uber launched a "pressure campaign" to avoid liability for these incidents, the law group behind the bill said. JB Pritzker, it would eliminate an exemption in Illinois law that has protected ride-hailing companies since 2015. Salvi said Illinois exempted ride-hailing companies from the state's common-carrier civil-liability doctrine in 2015 to "allow them to come to market" and "give them an ability to compete." Moreover, the exemption has protected ride-hailing companies in even more extreme cases.

☆ Pension reform defiance brings new blood to French trade unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interest is growing among younger and private sector workers, where unions tend to be less well represented. Vacheron said that more than 30% of the CGT's recent joiners were under the age of 35 while 70% were coming from the private sector, which traditionally is dominated by the CFDT. "Since the retirement reform is contested by the young and old, public and private sector workers, they see a utility in belonging to unions, unions are attractive," Vacheron said. "Unions are rebuilding themselves from the ground up through recruitment and not only street protests," sociologist Michel Wieviorka said. Labour relations consultant Stephanie Matteudi-Lecocq said that the momentum coming from pension reform pushback could ultimately put unions back on more solid footing in companies.

☆ UK firms cut hiring of permanent staff, recruiters' survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - British firms reduced hiring of permanent staff via recruitment agencies at the fastest pace in more than two years, a survey showed on Wednesday, a day before the Bank of England announces its latest move to tackle inflation pressure. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation/KPMG said temporary hiring - which often increases when employers are uncertain about the economic outlook - rose at the fastest pace in seven months. "After a better month in March, in April we saw permanent hiring fall back quickly and businesses turn to temps to help them through. The REC survey showed staff availability increased for the second month in a row in April as some companies laid off workers and people sought better-paid work to help cope with an inflation rate that remained above 10% in March. Most investors and economists expect the BoE to increase Bank Rate for the 12th meeting in a row on Thursday.

☆ Will wages outpace inflation for long? It depends on the job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington, DC CNN —Wages are now finally beating inflation, according to the latest quarterly data on wage growth. That was the biggest monthly increase since March 2022, though wage growth had gradually slowed since then. “The folks who left one company and went to another are the ones who are still benefiting from wage growth,” said Morgan Llewellyn, chief data scientist at Jobvite. Part of the continued strength in wage growth largely has to do with employers’ difficulty in hiring, which varies by industry. “Wage growth has still been higher for job changers than job stayers and that suggests that there’s still a shortage of labor for some companies,” said Dawn Fay, operational president at staffing firm Robert Half.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach. A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers.

☆ Iranian Insider and British Spy: How a Double Life Ended on the Gallows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | Ronen Bergman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But later, in an audio message broadcast by BBC Persian — it had been obtained through his family, according to Mr. Akbari’s brother — Mr. Akbari said the confessions were coerced. Iran says Mr. Akbari betrayed the country and traded state secrets for money. In the videos, Mr. Akbari said he was recruited in 2004 and told he and his family would be given visas for Britain. Iran has said that MI6 paid Mr. Akbari nearly 2 million pounds, currently about $2.4 million. Mr. Akbari met with the British ambassador in Tehran as part of his official job, and traveled to Europe often for business, Mehdi Akbari said.

☆ After a year of heavy losses, Ukraine's military is juggling a 'very uneven' force as it prepares for major fighting, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military is gearing up for offensives against Russian forces in spring and summer. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine's military had about 196,000 active personnel and 900,000 in reserve, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2022 Military Balance report. The Western approachAn instructor briefs Ukrainian soldiers at a training center near Yavoriv in April 2017. The training they provided accompanied other efforts by Kyiv to reverse two decades of post-Cold War decay that weakened the Ukrainian military. "This is a continuous struggle in the Ukrainian military," Kofman said.

☆ Stop worrying about the perfect interview answer and don't send in a ChatGPT cover letter: How to get your next job, according to 3 tech recruiters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

About 333,000 tech workers were laid off in 2022 and 2023, according to data compiled by layoffs.fyi. We asked three tech recruiters to share their best tips for finding a job. About 333,000 tech workers got laid off in 2022 and 2023, according to data compiled by layoffs.fyi. Things started unraveling in late 2022 when tech company after tech company started announcing broad layoffs. Julia Pollock, the chief economist at American hiring platform ZipRecruiter, told the Wall Street Journal that in April 2022, there were over 10,000 job openings for tech recruiters.

☆ UK recruiters slow pace of pay growth in March, REC survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) - Britain's labour market showed signs of a slowing in the sharp pace of pay growth in March and a shortage of candidates eased for the first time in two years, according to a survey of recruiters published on Wednesday. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation/KPMG said increases in starting salaries for permanent staff were the second-weakest in nearly two years, but remained high in historical terms. Billings for temporary workers, which often increase when employers are cautious about the outlook, rose at the fastest pace in six months. "The continuing fast rate of pay growth is likely reflective of the impact of inflation on wage offers, as well as low labour supply," Carberry said. Vacancies ticked up further in March although the pace of growth eased slightly from a four-month high in February.

☆ Russia's e-conscription overhaul underlines scramble for military manpower
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It is going to be much more difficult to dodge," said Artyom, who asked for his surname to be withheld. The new law appeared part of a renewed push to generate more manpower for Russia’s military in Ukraine, where analysts say a much-anticipated winter offensive appears to have fizzled out without meaningful gains for Moscow. On March 30, British Defence Intelligence said that Russia planned to recruit an additional 400,000 professional soldiers, echoing Russian media reports. Mike Kofman, an expert in the Russian military at the U.S.-based CNA think-tank, has said that only a small proportion of Russia's troops in Ukraine are capable of offensive operations. Meanwhile, a physical recruitment drive is being rolled out across Russia.

The financially strapped South Asian country will also start formal negotiations for the debt it owes to bilateral creditors and overseas bondholders after the domestic debt operation, aiming to complete those parallel debt talks by September. Central bank and treasury officials said they expected that "exploring options for a domestic debt operation" will help achieve much-needed liquidity relief, including both local currency T-Bills and T-Bonds. Government officials told investors that only T-Bills held by the central bank would be considered for a debt rework, while a voluntary domestic debt operation was expected for the holders of $24 billion of T-Bonds. Sri Lanka is struggling with its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades. To that end, Sri Lanka has already frozen public recruitment and has hiked taxes and power tariffs by 66% this year.

☆ The CTO of a climate-tech company shares a 3-part approach to technology that can improve employee recruitment and performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Meira Gebel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Consider using standard technology as a recruiting toolReavill said Commons uses standard technology externally, in its consumer-facing applications, but also internally as a means of attracting top talent. Although some CEOs are skeptical about remote work, Reavill believes more tech leaders should embrace it. The main thing stopping companies in the environmental industry from quickly progressing isn't technology, "because we have a lot of powerful technology," Reavill said. "When things get bigger, and things become much more complex, you have to introduce more powerful and, in some ways, more constraining tools," Reavill said. A common sign of internal strain is when training new employees on standard technology tools becomes a burden.

☆ Want to invest in companies that empower women? Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Known as gender lens or gender equity investing, the idea is to invest for financial return, while promoting gender diversity. Yet those funds represent less than 0.01% of total equity fund assets in the United States, according to the firm. Her women CEO and CFO clients were getting tremendous results, she said. In January, the asset management firm launched the Hypatia Women CEO exchange-traded fund (WCEO). Women in leadership matters, but we need a more robust scorecard to assess gender equity.

☆ Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

They are identified as pardoned former convicts, returned from the front in Ukraine after joining Wagner from prison. Four of the men said they were personally recruited by Yevgeny Prigozhin as he toured Russia’s prison system to bolster his private army. I wish all real men would join Wagner.”The war in Ukraine is straining Russia’s military capacity. One of the convict recruits told Reuters he travelled to a Wagner training camp in the Russian-controlled part of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region. According to the United States, by mid-February Wagner had suffered more than 30,000 casualties in Ukraine, including 9,000 dead, almost all of them convicts.

☆ Small-business owners already have the most effective tool to increase brand awareness and drive sales at the their fingertips: their employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Erica Sweeney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Employee advocacy has been shown to boost trust between brands and their customers more than ads. What consumers think about employees' social media postsRecent studies have shown that employee advocacy programs can increase brand awareness and positive perceptions about a company, drive sales, and improve employee recruitment and retention. In 2022, the company's social media reach hit 81 million with an earned media value of $2.5 million, Whalen said. Data shows that employee advocacy programs can also help boost sales. According to LinkedIn, companies that encourage sales teams to share content on social media generate more leads and are more likely to exceed their sales quotas.

☆ I'm a tech recruiter who helps Black professionals get jobs at companies like Deloitte and Shopify. Here's my advice for getting the salary you deserve.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Pauleanna Reid | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

He partners with firms including Deloitte, DraftKings, and Shopify to recruit Black tech talent. Now I partner with firms like Deloitte, DraftKings, Dynatrace, Loliware, Shopify, and Automatic to recruit Black tech talent. I've helped more than 360 Black people land jobs in tech, so I've had a lot of opportunities to learn what drives success in this space. Being vocal about my goal to get more Black people jobs in tech on Twitter helped me gain visibility and trust among Black job seekers. The best way to let someone know you're serious about your salary expectations is to let them know you have an offer pending.

☆ Companies that give up stock buybacks for 5 years will get preferential treatment in $52 billion CHIPS program, Commerce Secretary Raimondo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said companies that voluntarily agree to forgo stock buybacks for five years will get preferential treatment when the agency doles out $52 billion authorized under the CHIPS and Science Act. Raimondo said stock buybacks is one factor being taken into consideration as part of a $39 billion manufacturing subsidy program. The law also creates a 25% investment tax credit for building chip plants, estimated to be worth $24 billion. Beyond that, we're giving a preference to companies who voluntarily say they won't do a buyback for five years," Raimondo told CNBC's Sara Eisen on Monday. The Commerce Department began accepting applications for CHIPS funding at the end of February.

☆ Amazon's RTO backlash, Google's desk-sharing: Big companies clash with employees over the future of work
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Cindy Perman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced recently that employees would be expected to return to the office three days a week in the spring. In less than a week, 14,000 employees had joined the Slack channel and a petition started circulating, demanding the company retract the policy. General Motors, Starbucks, Apple and Twitter are among other big companies that have started calling employees back to the office. Employees resist RTO mandatesEmployers are doing their best to really sell RTO, marketing it to employees using words like collaboration, socialization and free snacks. Employees are a lot happier if they work from home one or two days a week so that boosts recruitment and retention.

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrive at a meeting in Ankara, Turkey February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganANKARA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Washington strongly supports Sweden and Finland's quick NATO accession given steps they have already taken, even as his Turkish counterpart stressed the need for more concrete action. The Nordic countries' NATO bids have been stalled because Turkey has refused to ratify them, saying Stockholm in particular has harboured what it calls members of terrorist groups. "If they take steps that convince our parliament and people, there could be a development in this direction," he added. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey.

☆ Ukraine Says Russia Delaying New Mobilization Amid Stepped-Up Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Matthew Luxmoore | Evan Gershkovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine said Russia was ready to launch a new mobilization but was struggling to integrate troops it had already drafted and was waiting to gauge the success of a stepped-up offensive ahead of the first anniversary of its invasion later this month. “Everything is ready,” the deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Vadym Skibitsky, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “The personnel is in place, the lists are ready, the people tasked with carrying out recruitment and training are on standby.”

☆ Ukraine Says Russia Is Delaying New Mobilization Amid Stepped-Up Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Matthew Luxmoore | Evan Gershkovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine said Russia had everything in place to launch a second wave of military mobilization but was waiting to gauge the success of a stepped-up offensive aimed at capturing swaths of territory ahead of the first anniversary of its invasion later this month. “Everything is ready,” the deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Vadym Skibitsky, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “The personnel is in place, the lists are ready, the people tasked with carrying out recruitment and training are on standby.”

☆ Five soldiers killed in shooting at Philippine military camp
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Five soldiers were killed in a shooting at a military camp in the southern Philippines, including the shooter, the military said on Saturday. The shooter then went to other rooms, where two soldiers grappled with and killed him, the army said. An internal investigation has begun to identify the cause and gaps in the recruitment and training process, the military said. In June, three people, including a former mayor, died in graduation day shooting in the capital Manila. Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain hit by biggest day of strikes in a decade as pay disputes escalate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The bill would require basic service levels to be maintained in the fire, ambulance and rail sectors in the event of walkouts. Strikes will affect around 23,400 schools, about 85%, in England and Wales, with many closed fully or partially. According to the union, pay for experienced teachers has declined by 23% since 2010 once inflation is taken into account. In a sign that industrial unrest could escalate further, UK firefighters have voted to strike for the first time since 2003. The Fire Brigades Union has given the government until February 9 to make an improved pay offer.

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