Professional and financial recruiting up eight per cent in 2015 as salaries jump too – APSCo October 26, 2015 Good news for job hunters: professional and financial recruiting is up eight per cent this year, with average salaries increasing by 4.6 per cent since 2014. The number of finance and accounting roles has risen 17 per cent from last year, according to data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). This is in [...]
Low oil prices mean Saudi Arabia could run out of money in five years October 25, 2015 Saudi Arabia could run out of cash in the next five years if oil prices stay as low as $50 a barrel. The painful effects of the tumbling oil price are starting to be felt in one of the world’s major oil producers, which is also the leader of Opec, Saudi Arabia, along with Oman and [...]
A lack of lorry drivers threatens Christmas 2015 online deliveries October 25, 2015 Christmas is under threat from a lack of lorry drivers. Shops could be left with empty shelves while online deliveries face delays due to a shortage of tens of thousands of lorry drivers, it has been warned. "We are short of between 45,000 and 50,000 drivers and the situation is getting worse," chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) [...]
UK GDP Q3 2015: Economists say growth could slip to 0.5pc and manufacturing and construction are to blame for slowdown October 25, 2015 Growth figures out this week are expected to show that the UK economy is slowing down due to weaker construction and manufacturing output. Economists say gross domestic product (GDP) increased by either 0.5 per cent or 0.6 per cent in the third quarter, compared to 0.7 per cent in the second quarter. The first quarter [...]
Bank of England’s Mark Carney on interest rate rise: 4pc of mortgage holders vulnerable to hike October 25, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said Britain should be prepared for interest rates to be hiked, but it was by no means certain that the historically low rate would be raised. He warned that there were households at risk due to large amounts of debt – as many as four per cent of mortgage [...]
Gender pay gap data will include bonuses October 25, 2015 Companies will be forced to reveal how much men and women get paid in the form of bonuses as part of efforts to reduce pay inequality. Businesses with more than 250 employees will have to report the gap between male and female pay under new rules expected to be introduced next year. Now, David Cameron has said [...]
Scotland house prices: Number of properties over £1m doubles, with over half based in Edinburgh October 24, 2015 Scotland is fast becoming a land of million-pound properties, with the number of homes selling for more than £1m doubling in the first half of this year. Figures from the Bank of Scotland show that from January to June, 111 properties went for this value or more, compared to 43 during the first half of [...]
Thousands of self-employed people facing HMRC fines for late tax returns, say accountants October 23, 2015 Thousands of self-employed Londoners face fines of up to £1,600 at the start of next month for failing to file their tax returns on time, according to City accountants Perrys. Last year approximately 700,000 people in the UK missed the government’s 31 October submission deadline. This year, the fines are estimated to hit as many as 890,000 people. And with 680,000 London workers registered [...]
Eurozone business growth unexpectedly accelerated in October – but not enough to temper stimulus expectations October 23, 2015 A new survey has shown business growth in the Eurozone unexpectedly strengthening, but not enough to temper expectations that the European Central Bank (ECB) will boost its monetary stimulus programme. "Unless the PMI business activity and price indices pick up significantly in coming months, the combination of relatively weak growth and deflation signalled by the survey will [...]
UK property prices: As house prices continue to rise, people have just stopped moving house October 23, 2015 Hot on the heels of Deutsche Bank calling the top of the capital's housing market, a survey by Knight Frank has suggested the number of people moving house has fallen to the lowest level since it began its survey in April 2014. The upmarket estate agent, which conducted its study with Markit, said just 4.6 per cent of households [...]