ONS
The Office for National Statistics reports UK vacancies fell by 21,000 to 691,000 in July to September, down 5.1% year over year. Unemployment fell to 4.7%, while September payroll employment rose by 13,000. With small businesses accounting for the largest vacancy decline by employer size, uncertainty over employment costs threatens recruitment and workforce planning.
Gemini in Google Chat on the web now spots meeting requests in DMs and groups of up to five and offers up to three Calendar times to book in one click, Google said. It's English-only, rolling out from November 9 and on by default wherever smart features are on, with no dedicated admin switch. Admins should check those settings now.
3CX says V20 Update 10 adds Model Context Protocol support, so ChatGPT or Claude can query call data within existing permissions. AI agents can now run on xAI Grok, and a new AI Server handles transcription on a local Mac or Linux box with no per-minute cost. It's a play to keep AI spend and call data in-house.
Cisco’s Cloud Control portal is due to expand beyond the U.S. in 2027, with launches in the EU, U.K. and Australia in February, followed by Japan, India and Canada in May. The platform provides a single login and management plane across Cisco’s portfolio.
Dell has introduced five Pro headsets across wired and wireless tiers, with fleet management and repairability part of the pitch. IT teams can deploy and manage them through Dell Device Management Console, while the wireless batteries and ear cushions are replaceable.
Microsoft's roadmap now lists real-time call queue metrics for the Teams Queues app on mobile, with general availability due in December. Agents and supervisor leads can check live queue activity and performance on the go, then decide on availability and queue participation. It follows mobile call recaps and shared call history. Teams' lightweight contact center keeps creeping up-market.
