Explore Business Standard
The convergence of artificial intelligence, evolving labour regulations and rising employee expectations will redefine how organisations manage pay, people and performance in the coming year, a report says. According to ADP, a leading global technology company specialising in Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, the Indian workplace of 2026 will be increasingly intelligent, interconnected and human-centred. Organisations that embrace payroll modernisation, invest in compliance readiness, and prioritise employee financial well-being are better positioned to navigate the uncertainties of the future workforce. "The year ahead brings both opportunity and complexity for India's employers. Skills are becoming the new currency, automation is reshaping how work gets done, and employees are expecting work experience that supports both productivity and personal well-being. "In such a scenario, organisations that respond with empathy, structure and agility will be able to stay ahead of t
India's global capability centre (GCC) workforce, which will reach 3 million by 2030, is likely to create four lakh jobs for freshers by 2030 and is expected to witness a 3-5 per cent improvement in gender diversity, HR investment platform FirstMeridian said. The GCC ecosystem in the country is growing rapidly, driven by a diverse talent pool, high digital literacy, cost advantages, and the involvement of many industries including IT, AI/ML, and data engineering, FirstMeridian Business Services CEO - IT Staffing, Sunil Nehra, said in a statement. He said as India becomes the preferred destination for GCCs, the market is expected to be worth USD 110 billion by 2030. This growth will lead to the creation of around 1.5 lakh jobs by 2026, with the GCC workforce projected to reach 3 million by 2030, and a significant portion of these jobs, around one lakh, will be entry-level positions for freshers, said Nehra. Women, he said, make up 40 per cent of the GCC workforce in India, and this
US government efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives are not going down well on the European continent. Laurent Saint-Martin, France's minister for foreign trade, said the country won't compromise after the US State Department demanded French companies drop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In neighbouring Belgium, where some companies reportedly received similar requests, the government lashed out at perceived US pressure. French media reported last week that major French companies received a letter saying President Donald Trump's rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the US. Saint-Martin spoke to RTL Radio on Monday following reports that US diplomats are interfering in the operations of French companies and said French authorities will seek explanations from their US counterparts about the letter. The reported demands included abandoning inclusion policies that are part of French and European Union laws such as equality between men and women, th
More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. The Education Department announced the new investigations on Friday, one month after issuing a memo warning America's schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over race-based preferences in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life. Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the colour of their skin, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. We will not yield on this commitment. Most of the new inquiries are focused on colleges' partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from under-represented groups get degrees in business with the goal of diversifying the business world. Department officials said that the group limits eligibility based on r
Apple shareholders on Tuesday are expected to reject an attempt to pressure the technology trendsetter into scrapping its corporate programmes designed to diversify its workforce. The proposal drafted by the National Centre for Public Policy Research a self-described conservative think tank urges Apple to follow a litany of high-profile companies that have retreated from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives currently in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump. It comes a month after the same group presented a similar proposal during Costco's annual meeting, only to have it overwhelmingly rejected. A similar outcome is expected during Apple's annual meeting despite the strident objections of critics. Just as Costco does, Apple has steadfastly stood behind diversity and inclusion efforts that its management contends good business sense. But the National Centre for Public Policy Research's proposal has attacked Apple's diversity commitments for being out of line with recent