100 UK Businesses Adopt Four-Day Work Week: TOP 5 Trends From The World Of Work 

What else matters this week?

What do workers think about the world of work?

Key takeaways from the G20 summit for the future of work.

Irish regulator fines Facebook over privacy rule breaches.

Airport queues may shorten as 100ml rule scrapped.

Half of Europe’s Dark Green’ funds invest in the fossil fuel industry or aviation.

We’ve got a full breakdown of all the top headlines you can’t miss this week.

#1. 100 UK Businesses Go All-In on the 4-Day Work Week

One hundred companies in the UK have officially signed up to move their workers to a permanent four-day work week  with no loss in pay. It’s a momentous milestone in the campaign to change Britain’s approach to work. The companies employ 2,600 staff – only a small fraction of the UK’s working population, but supporters of the 4-day work week hope the move will mark a shift. Read more at the Guardian.

#2. Canada plans to admit 1.4 million immigrants to address labour shortages

Canada has a problem: the country is facing a historic labour shortage. Their aging population, combined with declining labour force participation and declining fertility rates, means the country is facing severe talent shortages. The country’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9% this year, the lowest on record.

Their solution? Canadian policymakers aim to bring in more than 400,000 immigrants between 2022 and 2024 to grow their workforce – with more in the future. Read more at the Financial Post

#3. Will AI replace software engineers?

Artificial intelligence systems get more advanced each day. AI systems can beat humans at games like Chess and Go, but they can also create their own art and write code. Google is working on an AI project that uses machine learning to train these AI to write code, fix code, and update itself. Will they end up replacing human software engineers? Read more at Business Insider.

#4. Snap orders staff to return to office 80% of the week.

Snap is the latest company to mandate employees return to the office at least four days a week. The social media platform said their mandate goes into effect at the end of February, according to an internal memo. CEO Evan Spiegel said that “spending more time together in person will help us achieve our full potential.” The news follows Snap’s 20% reduction in staff in August. Read more here.

#5. More men are staying out of the workforce to care for kids.

The traditional childcare discussion has always revolved around moms. But more and more men are staying out of the workforce to care for kids. US government stats often undercount the number of men that opt to take on full-time caregiving responsibilities. “My joke forever has been, ‘I’m retired,’ when people ask me what I do,” Ryan Burdick, a former commercial pilot, told Bloomberg. Read more at Bloomberg.