Australia's Wage Growth Stays Elevated in Tight Labor Market
The Wage Price Index advanced an annual 3.4% in the three months through June, compared with economists' estimate of 3.3%, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed Wednesday. On a quarterly basis, wages grew 0.8%, matching estimates. The report showed public sector wage growth was higher than the private sector.
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Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Auditor: California could save $225 million a year by letting state employees work remote
Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to have arbitrarily ordered workers back to the office without using specific rationale such as data on worker productivity, according to a newly released report from the California state auditor's office. The audit, which state legislators requested in May 2024 after the governor first ordered workers back to the office two days per week after they had been sent to work remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown, found that Newsom's office failed to gather important information about departments' office space needs and costs and did not use any data about state workers' productivity to justify its in-office mandate. Earlier this year, Newsom signed a new executive order that upped the required in-office days from two to four, but he relented in a series of contracts his administration signed with public employee unions. State Auditor Grant Parks concluded that California could save as much as $225 million per year and reduce its office space by nearly a third if it sticks to having employees in the office two days a week and working remotely three days a week. The governor's office also ignored survey findings from its own oversight agency, the Department of General Services, which had collected estimates from departments on how much office space they would need to bring workers back more often. 'In general, we determined that a one‑size-fits-all approach to telework is counter to state policy and may limit opportunities for significant cost savings,' Parks wrote. Supporters of work-from-home cheered the report as further vindication for their claims that Newsom's return-to-office mandates were capricious, politically motivated decisions rather than a true effort to increase worker productivity. Union leaders say flexible hybrid work policies can simultaneously save the state money and help achieve ambitious climate and emissions goals by reducing commuter traffic. 'This audit confirms what has been apparent for some time: Flexible telework benefits taxpayers, state government, and state employees,' said Ted Toppin, executive director of the Professional Engineers in California Government, a union representing state engineers, in a statement Tuesday. The audit recommended that state lawmakers require departments to identify positions that can successfully telework three days a week and offer such an option. It also instructed the state to develop guidance for departments to evaluate the effectiveness of their telework programs. Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement that the governor's office 'respectfully disagrees' with the auditor's findings, which were based on 'hypothetical theories and incomplete information.' 'This audit on state telework is not a scientific study, nor does it paint a complete picture of the state workforce or the benefits of working in person,' Gallegos wrote. ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Arcadea, Through Its Entity Vellox Group, Acquires ADSoftware in Bold Move to Disrupt Aviation Software Landscape
CLUSES, France & TORONTO & ADELAIDE, Australia, August 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vellox Group, the global leader in unified aviation operations software, today announced the acquisition of ADSoftware ("ADS"), a French-based provider of CAMO and maintenance software trusted by high-criticality aviation operators around the world. This move expands Vellox's platform into the maintenance domain, creating an unprecedented one-stop solution for operations and airworthiness management. ADS joins Vellox's mission to deliver the industry's most comprehensive and integrated platform for aviation operators, offering unified workflows that eliminate silos between flight operations and maintenance. With ADS onboard, Vellox now covers the entire operational and maintenance lifecycle. Over 70 ADS customers will benefit from access to Vellox's global infrastructure, advanced product development resources, and 24/7 support. All ADS employees will remain in place and join Vellox, ensuring service continuity and accelerating innovation. ADS's flagship ERP, AIRPACK, will be rebranded under the Vellox umbrella as part of the unified platform strategy. "ADSoftware is a natural fit for Vellox's disruptor vision," said Aleksandra Banas, CEO of Vellox Group. "Together, we're reshaping how aviation operators run their businesses from the cockpit to the hangar—with a single, integrated platform." The acquisition strengthens Vellox's position in mission-critical aviation sectors such as EMS, defense, and industrial operations—segments that demand zero compromise on compliance, safety, and reliability. Integrating flight, crew, and maintenance data unlocks predictive analytics, smarter compliance tools, and improved operational uptime, setting new industry benchmarks. "Joining Vellox is a major milestone. We're excited to scale globally while staying true to our roots in innovation, product excellence, and long-term customer partnerships," said Inès Gur, Acting Managing Director of ADSoftware. The unified platform will give operators access to: Seamless workflows across planning, dispatch, safety, and maintenance A single, cohesive user experience Advanced decision support and analytics tools Elevated compliance and audit-readiness "ADS is the missing piece that makes our platform unrivaled," said Krister Genmark, SVP of Revenue at Vellox. "No one else offers a fully unified ecosystem for high-criticality aviation like we now do." "ADSoftware exceeds every benchmark we set for our investments—founder-led, product-first, and beloved by customers. We're thrilled to welcome ADS into the Vellox platform and to support its continued innovation on a global scale," said Paul Yancich, Managing Director at Arcadea Group. For more information on Vellox Group and its innovative aviation software, visit About ADSoftwareFounded in 1998 in France, ADSoftware provides modular ERP solutions for maintenance and airworthiness management. Its customers span airlines, military fleets, MRO providers, and helicopter operators. Known for reliability and regulatory depth, ADS's AIRPACK suite supports CAMO and MRO operations worldwide. About Vellox GroupVellox Group is the world's most unified aviation software platform, formed by combining Flight Vector, Spidertracks, Air Maestro, Complete Flight—and now ADSoftware. Serving emergency, defense, utility, and government operators, Vellox delivers data-rich, fully integrated tools for flight ops, dispatch, safety, crew, and maintenance. About Arcadea GroupArcadea Group is a permanent capital investor in founder-led vertical software businesses. With a long-term investment approach, Arcadea enables its companies—like Vellox—to pursue bold innovation and sustained market leadership in mission-critical sectors. View source version on Contacts For media inquiries, please contact: Krister Genmark – SVP, Revenue, Vellox Group (kgenmark@ Yancich – Managing Director, Arcadea Group (yancich@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Beanless coffee maker Prefer strikes global production tie-ups
Prefer, a Singapore-based start-up making beanless coffee products and ingredients, has struck two new commercial partnerships, which will see it work with two food and drink companies to produce products in Thailand and Australia. The group said it marked the group's "first international commercial partnerships". The news was announced alongside the closure of a $4.2m fundraising round, led by At One Ventures and Chancery Hill Capital, with participation from existing investor Forge Ventures. In a statement, Prefer said it would be working with Japanese food and drink major Ajinomoto's Thailand arm to 'develop sustainable new innovations" in coffee drinks for the Thai market. Specific details of the future product being produced with Ajinomoto are confidential, according to video from Prefer shared on LinkedIn today (13 August). Prefer has also granted Australian FMCG company The Coffee Ferm a licence for its proprietary fermentation technology to allow it to manufacture and distribute Prefer coffee products locally. Prefer co-founder Jake Berber told Just Drinks that both these partnerships are long-term. He added that the starting times of both these tie-ups was dependent on "regulatory and manufacturing readiness" but that it was "pushing to get to market as soon as possible". Berber founded Prefer in 2022 alongside Ding Jie Tan. The group currently supplies its beanless coffee to FMCG companies in Singapore, including Melvados which has used Prefer's coffee ingredients in a beanless coffee ice cream product. Prefer also sells a beanless coffee iced latte RTD product throughout the region, according to its website. Alongside the news, the group also announced the launch of two new products: soluble coffee and cocoa powders. Prefer plans to sell these throughout the Asia-Pacific region and have already launched them for sampling purposes with food and beverage groups. "We are targeting large food and beverage companies to integrate our ingredients into their products," said Berber. Prefer's latest investment round brings its total amount raise to date to to $6.2m. In a statement, Prefer said it plans to 'scale its pilot production facility through toll manufacturers in key markets, deepen R&D on cocoa flavour development, and expand global partnerships with a continued focus in Asia'. Berber said the group would use the investment to scale its coffee production output to 500 tonnes a year through its third-party manufactures based in Asia–Pacific outside Singapore. Money will also go towards scaling cocoa production at its Singapore pilot facility before shifting to third-party manufacturers to carry out larger volumes. Berber also told Just Drinks that another funding round is expected within 18–24 months to support further expansion. The startup's alternative coffee and cocoa products are made from food manufacturing byproducts such as rice and soy, using a proprietary fermentation and roasting process. Prefer claims to offer affordable ingredients that 'replicate the taste and functionality' of coffee and cocoa, with a reduced carbon footprint. Prefer said its life cycle analysis shows its coffee has up to 85% lower emissions and is 50% more affordable than traditional Arabica coffee. "Beanless coffee maker Prefer strikes global production tie-ups" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
