Workforce

• Hangzhou-based AI company DeepSeek plans to double its workforce following a multi-billion-dollar fundraising round. • The firm is immediately recruiting for 27 different roles, including development engineers, data engineers, AI product managers, and corporate staff in legal and finance. • This expansion aims to strengthen DeepSeek's ability to compete against major U.S. generative AI rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

• Lazada has reduced its workforce by approximately 5% as part of a strategic review across its South-east Asian operations. • The layoffs impact employees across six key markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. • Contrary to industry trends, reports indicate that these job cuts are not related to the implementation of AI initiatives.

Soft power institution faces funding crisis linked to Covid-era government loan soon due to be repaidStaff at the British Council in Italy will go on strike on Thursday over deep cuts that would slash about 80% of its workforce due to a funding crisis facing the organisation.Out of 130 of its teaching staff across Rome, Milan and Naples, 108 are being targeted as teaching activities in Italy face the axe. The move would end 80 years of British Council English language teaching in Italy as part of the organisation’s global mission to promote British culture and education across the world, sources said. Continue reading...

• Blocks, an AI startup, secured $20 million in Series A funding led by Entrée Capital to develop autonomous digital workforces. • The funding will support deployment of AI agents capable of handling complex tasks independently. • This investment highlights growing VC interest in agentic AI technologies amid enterprise automation demands.

• Companies in the US are spending 93% of their AI budgets on technology and only 7% on preparing their workforce, leading to implementation bottlenecks. • Among executives surveyed, 78% report greater benefits from AI in revenue growth than cost-cutting, with experts predicting revenue gains will dwarf efficiency improvements. • Firms treating workforce as an afterthought risk failure despite advanced AI tools, as highlighted by insights from Deloitte, Wharton, and Harvard experts.

• Thousands of CDC employees have been laid off over the past year, leaving the agency in chaos amid funding cuts and the aftermath of a deadly shooting at its Atlanta headquarters last summer. • Insiders express concerns that the incoming Trump-nominated director will further erode trust in the agency as measles outbreaks escalate and vaccine policies face resistance. • The nominee is expected to be announced on Truth Social by Wednesday, inheriting a hollowed-out leadership structure marked by yearlong turmoil.

• Edmonton-born startup Smart Access raised $12 million in Series A funding from Bay Area investors Lobby Capital, Aspenwood Ventures, and Coelius Capital to expand its digital workforce management platform. • The company, co-founded by Tim Regnier and John White, helps large distribution operations optimize training, safety programs, and adherence to standard operating procedures across their workforce. • Smart Access, which relocated its operating base to San Francisco while maintaining Edmonton roots since its 2015 founding, plans to scale deployments across North America using the new capital.