This Week's Top Five HR Stories

Why Has Oracle Added US$500m to its Restructuring Budget?

Oracle will spend an additional US$500m on restructuring costs in its fiscal year, according to a Securities and Exchanges report filed. 

The company had already announced plans to spend US$1.6bn, bringing the total costs for its restructuring to more than US$2bn 

This budget will cover redundancy packages and further exit costs for employees. It also suggests the company is ramping up its workforce reduction plan. 

Oracle has previously said that AI was reducing its workforce needs at the announcement of its third quarter earnings in March. 

The company said: “AI models for generating computer code have become so efficient that we have been restructuring our product development teams into smaller, more agile and productive groups. 

“This new AI Code Generation technology is enabling us to build more software in less time with fewer people. Oracle is now building more SaaS applications for more industries at a lower cost.”

This follows an increase in job losses from AI, with research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas finding that companies announced more than 54,000 AI-related layoffs in the US during 2025, while a 2025 Acas survey finds that 26% of British employees are concerned about AI job cuts.

Parsons Appoints New CHRO to Lead 'Mission-Driven Workforce'

Parsons has announced it is appointing Soo Lagasse as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective April 1. 

Soo currently serves as Parsons’ Senior Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition, and will take over the role from Susan Balaguer, who plans to retire. 

The company has said Susan will remain with the company until the end of May to ensure the transition process between the two is as smooth as possible. 

Soo says: “I’m honoured to be named Chief Human Resources Officer, and to continue to serve at Parsons alongside some of the finest human resources professionals in industry.

“Parsons is truly a people-first company, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to prioritise our people and to build programming that drives the continued success of our mission-driven workforce.”

Skills England Launches AI Apprenticeship to Upskill Workers

Skills England is launching an AI and automation practitioner apprenticeship, which has been created to help businesses boost productivity and encourage safe and responsible use of new technologies. 

Designed to upskill workers across a range of business sectors, apprentices will learn to identify where AI and automation can save time, reduce costs and improve performance by solving real-world problems. 

Pat McFadden, Work and Pensions Secretary, says: “Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming our economy, and I am determined that young people across the country are equipped to seize the opportunities it brings.

“That means investing in the skills and training that will define the jobs of the future.”

How Adecco is Powering Recruitment with Agentic AI

Adecco is signing a multi-year agreement with Salesforce as part of its target for over 50% of its revenues to be powered by agentic AI by the end of 2026.

The agreement, which is in place through 2027, gives Adecco unlimited global access to Agentforce 360, to deploy at scale and speed up recruitment efforts. 

Denis Machuel, CEO the Adecco Group, says of the agreement: “The world of work is being accelerated by AI and the Adecco Group is working as a strategic partner to help guide our 100,000 clients with the strategic workforce reorganisation and people and talent strategy required to drive business impact with AI implementation. 

“This agreement allows us to create real value for clients, candidates and our people.” 

Why John Lewis Brought Back its Annual Bonus

For the first time since 2022, the John Lewis Partnership will be paying its staff an annual bonus. 

The group has put aside around US$46m for staff bonuses, which offers staff a 2% bonus – equivalent to a week’s pay. 

This follows a challenging period for the company, in which it scrapped the bonus scheme to focus on investing in the business and “disciplined financial management”. 

Jason Tarry, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, says: “There is much still to do, but our growing cash generation and strong balance sheet enable us to invest more in our brands and our Partners to improve the experience for our customers. 

“I'm really grateful for the commitment and passion our Partners bring and, alongside our continued investment in Partner pay, we’re pleased to be in a position to award a 2% Partnership Bonus. We remain on track to make further progress this year.”