Zoom has rejected Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s criticism of employers interviewing job candidates by video call, saying the fairness of an interview depends on the skills of the interviewer rather than the format of the meeting.

Burnham told the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast that he disliked the practice, which he described as convenient for the organisations using it but a potential barrier for young candidates trying to make a personal connection with a prospective employer.

“One thing I really don’t like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams. That doesn’t seem right to me,” the prime minister said.

“I know it’s convenient for the organisations that do it, but how does a young person shine in that situation? How do you get over some of your personality, your passion?

“It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character, and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer.”

Zoom’s response placed the responsibility for candidate experience on employers rather than the technology.

“The issue isn’t whether an interview happens on video or in-person; it’s whether employers are creating an environment where every candidate can perform at their best. That’s the interviewer’s responsibility,” said Louise Newbury-Smith, head of UK and Ireland at Zoom.

“Poor interviewing existed long before video technology, and the format has never been the deciding factor.”

Burnham, whose arrival in Downing Street prompted questions about his agenda for smaller employers, was speaking to podcast host Jimmy McLoughlin, a former adviser to Theresa May. He suggested technology risked making the hiring process less equitable.

“It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the … post-pandemic era is becoming fairer,” he said.

“Recruitment has got to be about individuality … people bringing out the unique things that they’ve got to offer.”

Newbury-Smith said video calls had made recruitment more accessible for many candidates by removing geographical barriers and reducing travel costs. She said they could also help people balancing work with caring responsibilities and those living with disabilities.

Zoom is not the first recruitment technology firm to answer criticism from the prime minister. Screening software company Oleeo defended its AI screening tools after Burnham raised concerns about automated hiring in the same interview.

Zoom was founded by engineer Eric Yuan in 2011 and launched its video conferencing service in 2013. Its technology became a defining feature of the pandemic as meetings and social gatherings moved online, and its valuation briefly exceeded $100 billion in 2020.

Despite competition from Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, Zoom remains one of the leading video conferencing platforms, with more than 300 million users worldwide.

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

Operator

Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Fiscal Q4 2026 Earnings Call.

[Operator Instructions] I will now hand the call over to Steven Pelayo, Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Steven C. Pelayo
The Blueshirt Group, LLC

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Alpha and Omega Semiconductor’s conference call to discuss fiscal 2026 fourth quarter financial results. I’m Steven Pelayo, Investor Relations representative for AOS. With me today are Stephen Chang, our CEO; and Yifan Liang, our CFO.

This call is being recorded and broadcast live over the web. A replay will be available for 7 days following the call via the link in the Investor Relations section of our website.

Our call will proceed as follows today. Stephen will begin business updates, including strategic highlights and a detailed segment report. After that, Yifan will review the financial results and provide guidance for the September quarter. Finally, we will have a Q&A session.

The earnings release was distributed over the wire today, August 12, 2026, after the market closed. The release is also posted on the company’s website. Our earnings release and this presentation include non-GAAP financial measures. We use non-GAAP measures because we believe they provide useful information about our operating performance that should be considered by investors in conjunction with the GAAP measures. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures is included in

A shortage of skilled farm workers threatens Britain’s food security, Arla Foods has warned, after 82 per cent of its farmers with a vacancy said very few or no job applicants had the right skills.

The dairy co-operative, which owns the Lurpak and Cravendale brands, employs about 3,700 people in the UK and works with 1,900 farmers. Its survey of 440 farmers found more than half reported that retaining employees had become harder since Brexit and Covid.

Arla said hiring problems had grown from a “labour shortage to a wider skills challenge that could have implications for the long-term resilience of British food production if left unaddressed”.

The survey also points to an ageing workforce. Some 47.7 per cent of the farmers surveyed were over 55, and nearly a fifth were over 65. The most recent government figures on the agricultural workforce show only 5 per cent of farm holders in England were younger than 35.

Paul Dover, Arla’s UK agriculture director, said: “The food supply chain has been facing increasing pressure from workforce challenges for a number of years, and the latest data from our farmers shows the picture is not improving. This is a challenge that will impact beyond the farm, if action isn’t taken.

“Government proposals like the farming roadmap and its efforts to help young people into work through courses in schools are helpful and will go some way to supporting farmers, but the reality is we need intervention much earlier.”

Bas Padberg, managing director of Arla Foods UK, said: “If we want a resilient food system capable of feeding future generations, we must invest in the skills, education and pathways that will build the workforce of tomorrow.”

Roughly a fifth of the farmers surveyed said they needed help to recruit, train and develop the future workforce, while about 14 per cent would prioritise a “nationwide marketing campaign” to attract more talent.

Arla said recent government proposals, including the 25-year farming roadmap and initiatives to help young people into work, were welcome but had “not gone far enough”.

The warning comes as this summer’s widespread drought puts further pressure on food production, with food prices forecast to rise into 2027 as dry conditions hit harvests.

Analysts at Shore Capital said the UK was the closest it had been for many decades to a food security crisis. Vegetable and fruit growers were “particularly exposed” given their dependence on irrigation and consistent soil moisture, the analysts said, while dairy farmers faced acute pressure on milk yields as heat stress affects herds and grass dries up across the country.

Farmers are also contending with subsidy cuts, higher employment costs and potential shortages of fertiliser amid the war in Iran.

The government said: “Attracting bright new talent into agriculture is vital for the future of UK food and farming. Ongoing reforms to the skills system, including a V Level in agriculture, environmental and animal care, will strengthen training routes, reform apprenticeships and improve careers pathways into farming, giving young people the practical, hands-on learning they need to progress.

“Our 25-year Farming Roadmap sets out a clear vision for the future so our farmers can have the confidence once more to invest and feed the nation with pride for generations to come.”

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

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