Regulatory and Legal Affairs

📰 Brooklyn, from now until December 20th, Recess Art is hosting the "From Gaza to the World" exhibition, featuring Palestinian artists' work reproduced from digital photographs. France and Denmark previously hosted the Gaza Biennale, with Greece and Turkey to host next. Paris's Centre Pompidou closed for five years for renovations by Moreau Kusunoki and Frida Escobedo, focusing on asbestos removal, fire safety, and energy efficiency. In Washington, DC, Manifest's second 9,700 sq ft location in Union Market includes a barbershop and cocktail lounge. At the UN General Assembly, climate chief Simon Stiell highlighted AI's potential to optimize energy systems amid rising renewable energy.

🛒 Hotel franchising supports 57% of U.S. hotels and 2.8 million jobs by the end of 2024. With a 35% increase in franchised hotels over the past decade, these businesses generated over $35 billion in tax revenue and $97 billion in economic output. The American Franchising Act, introduced to establish clear joint employer standards, is crucial to resolving regulatory uncertainties costing $33 billion annually and disrupting 376,000 job opportunities since 2015. The Act aims for bipartisan support and legislative priority.

📦 UKHospitality, ahead of the upcoming Budget, launched an online tool for hospitality staff to contact MPs as part of its #TaxedOut campaign. The campaign seeks government action on business rates, national insurance, and VAT. Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, emphasized the industry's employment impact, urging widespread use of the tool. Millions rely on this sector for their livelihoods, advocating for urgent support to address heavy taxation.

✈️ Gatwick Airport's £2.2 billion second runway was confirmed by transport secretary Heidi Alexander. Focus Travel Partnership criticized this as "too little too late" for the £20 billion business travel sector, which supports 230,000 jobs. Despite an added 100,000 flights annually, UK flights could reach 3 million by 2030 from 1.9 million in 2023, pressuring NATS. Focus Travel's £1.3 billion annual business travel calls for more aggressive post-Brexit transport policies.

💸 The Bank of England (BoE), this week, decided to maintain interest rates at 4% due to inflation concerns. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 7–2 to keep the rate steady, with two members favoring a reduction to 3.75%. The committee also voted 7–2 to decrease UK government bond purchases by £70 billion over 12 months, reducing the total to £488 billion. CPI inflation was 3.8% in August, expected to rise slightly in September, with a target of 2%.

🏨 WASHINGTON, DC—An analysis by Edgewater Economics highlights the H-2B Visa Program's positive effects on U.S. jobs and wages. Each H-2B worker supports 3-5 U.S. jobs, with wages in these areas growing 1.6% higher. The hotel industry remains 200,000 workers short compared to pre-pandemic levels, relying on the program for seasonal needs. Landscaping uses 40% of H-2B workers, while hotels, forestry, and seafood industries follow with 8.67%, 6.3%, and 5.65% respectively.

🛑 26 November: UKHospitality (UKH) projects 111,000 hospitality job losses by the upcoming budget. Recent Office for National Statistics data show 84,000 jobs lost in the sector, accounting for 4% of all hospitality positions and 55% of UK job losses. The lowering of the employer NICs threshold hit 774,000 part-time and flexible jobs. UKH urges the government to address business rates, NICs, and VAT to mitigate further damage.