Employement and skills development

Saur, the French company specialising in water and waste treatment, was handed an annual prize for human resources innovation on 23 September, after it abolished probation periods for new hires...

1 October 2021

France: Just Eat platform to hire 4,500 staff on open-ended contracts

The food delivery platform Just Eat is to recruit at least 4,500 delivery staff in France by the end of this year, according to newspaper reports in the country. Just Eat confirms that it has...

1 February 2021

Germany: study reveals cost-effectiveness of apprenticeships through comparison with cost of a conventional hire

On 9 June, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) published its third study since 2007. It is based on more than 4,000 interviews and details the average cost of dual...

15 June 2020

Germany: ‘internal crowd-working’ study and the implications for company structures

The Hans Böckler Trade Foundation (German Federation of Trade Unions - DGB) has presented its first study on the phenomenon of ‘internal crowd work’ and its implications for both work organization...

4 June 2020

United Kingdom: ‘soft skills’ reference framework launched for employers

Identifying and assessing the interpersonal skills of workers and other skills that are not specifically related to their qualifications is a recurring issue. To address this and showcase the...

25 May 2020

Canada: supermarket executives take to shop floor

Managers are rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty. That’s the message being sent out by several supermarket chains. Loblaw, Empire, Longo, and the Canadian subsidiary of...

9 April 2020

United States: warehouses and supermarkets hiring massively to cope with demand

During this Covid-19 pandemic, two business sectors are bucking a general downtrend with extremely strong growth, namely the supermarket and distribution sectors. With demand levels already high...

24 March 2020

Santander extends right to maternity and paternity leave to all staff across global operations

Santander is introducing a global minimum standard for parental leave in every market in which it operates, with mothers granted at least 14 weeks of paid leave and the father or secondary parent...

6 March 2020

Bosch to provide artificial intelligence training to 20,000 employees

During the Bosch Connected World 2020 conference, held between 19 and 20 February in Berlin, Germany’s leading automobile equipment manufacturer and its chief executive Volkmar Denner announced...

2 March 2020

Saint-Gobain introduces social protection program worldwide

On 13 February the French construction materials company launched its “CARE by Saint-Gobain” social protection program that will provide specific minimum cover for all the Group’s more than...

18 February 2020

Franco-German initiative for ‘in-house’ apprenticeships in industry, with greater focus on digital and language skills

The Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFACI) and the French branches of four large German chemicals groups (BAYER, BASF, Merck and Boehringer) have teamed up to create a joint...

6 February 2020

France: Novartis establishes 16-weeks of paid parental leave, starting 01 January 2020

Employees at the pharmaceutical company’s French subsidiary are set to receive an extra two weeks of paid parental leave above and beyond the standard minimum duration as required in the...

6 February 2020

France: 105 businesses commit to awarding a minimum of one month paid leave for second parents

An opinion piece published in the 05 February edition of the daily economics publication Les Echos (here) indicates that 105 companies (primarily in the tech, organic, and sustainable development...

5 February 2020

Hungary: Diageo introduces 26 weeks paternity leave

Fathers in Hungary can avail of five-days of paid statutory leave following the birth of a child. This leave can be taken whole or in several parts but must be used before the child is two months...

5 February 2020

Business practices: how high-tech firm Thales is upping the pace of educational innovation and the ‘marketing’ of solutions that better meet the needs of professions and employees

More than 18 months ago Jean-Roch Houllier, director of educational innovation at the Thales Learning Hub, established a structure geared towards helping his company’s training system meet new...

13 January 2020

Germany: companies focus on issue of parenthood amid talent war

On 25 November the German arm of US IT giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced that all employees will now be eligible for six months of parental leave, with 100% pay from the company...

2 December 2019

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France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval

The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...

8 December 2025

mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators

In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...

31 October 2025

Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”

Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...

20 October 2025

France: generative AI and older workers central to BPCE’s skills management strategy

On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...

15 October 2025

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Spain: new terms and conditions for in-company training contracts

On 25 November, Spain's Council of Ministers approved a regulation on training contracts. This text defines the terms and conditions for hosting work-study students and interns doing professional...

1 December 2025

EU: Commission issues first recommendation on human capital as part of European Semester

In parallel with the European Semester adopted on 25 November, which proposes guidelines to member states on economic policies for the coming year, the European Commission has adopted an...

25 November 2025

France: sectors feel economic slowdown to differing degrees

The latest data on France’s occupational sectors (branches professionnelles), covering the year 2023, show how employment trends are shaping workplace dynamics. After a more favourable period for...

19 December 2025

Germany: apprenticeship openings fall sharply in manufacturing and chemicals

From 1 January 2026, Dutch collective agreements for temporary employment agencies will alter the employment conditions of temp workers. Agencies will be required to pay these workers at least the...

15 December 2025