Osborne’s dreams of new affordable housing could crumble if the construction sector cannot recruit at least a million more workers November 26, 2015 The construction industry will need to recruit at least a million more workers over the next five years if George Osborne’s hopes of new homes are to be realised. According to specialist recruiter Randstad CPE, the UK housebuilding sector needs a workforce of nearly 2m to keep up with housing demands. Owen Goodhead, managing director [...]
Eurozone money supply hits second-fastest growth rate since 2009 in October November 26, 2015 The Eurozone’s money supply grew at its second fastest rate since 2009 in October, according to figures released today by the European Central Bank (ECB). Lending to the private sector expanded at its joint quickest rate since 2012. The Eurozone’s M3 money supply, which adds up the notes, coins and bank deposits held by Eurozone consumers [...]
FTSE 100 rises despite housebuilders’ fears over new tax – London Report November 26, 2015 George Osborne’s announcement yesterday that he plans to raise property tax for those who buy a house in order to rent it and on second homes curtailed hefty gains made by housebuilders. However, in general, investors signalled their approval of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement, with the blue-chip FTSE 100 index finishing one per cent higher [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Fiscal watchdog spares Osborne’s blushes November 25, 2015 The government's fiscal watchdog gave chancellor George Osborne a huge boost yesterday, allowing him to escape the tax credits fiasco without it getting in the way of his plans to cut borrowing. Government borrowing looked like it was going to overshoot the £69.5bn target in the 12 months ending March and many believed Osborne would be [...]
Black Friday 2015 is about more than just John Lewis, Tesco, and Amazon: Small businesses getting in on the shopping frenzy through eBay November 25, 2015 Brace yourselves: there are now less than 48 hours to go until the year’s biggest shopping frenzy hits, with UK shoppers predicted to part with a record-smashing £1bn this Black Friday. Retail giants like John Lewis, Asda, Tesco and Amazon may be reaping the biggest rewards from the massive Black Friday sales spike – but [...]
UK employment: Over a million more people will be in work by 2020 report OBR after today’s Autumn Statement November 25, 2015 Over a million more people will be in work by the end of the current parliament, the government’s fiscal watchdog has said. Based on its economic growth forecasts and the policies announced in today’s Autumn Statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility believes employment will rise to 32.2m by 2020. Read more: What analysts and business make [...]
Autumn statement 2015: Chancellor George Osborne pledges to spend £600m on mental health November 25, 2015 In his first Autumn Statement as Chancellor since the Conservatives won a majority in May's General Election, George Osborne committed to putting more money into improving mental health in the UK. Praising Alistair Campbell, Andrew Mitchell and Norman Lamb for their mental health campaigning, he said during today's spending review that an additional £600m of government funding would [...]
French consumer confidence shows no early signs of being dented by the Paris Attacks November 25, 2015 One of the earliest indicators of French consumer confidence in the wake of the Paris attacks held steady in November. The household confidence index was unchanged at a score of 96, according to figures released this morning by Insee, the French statistical office. However, only seven per cent of the data was collected after the [...]
New home registrations remain stable over last quarter, as 37,582 recorded between August and October November 25, 2015 New home registrations have remained steady over the last quarter, according to figures released today from the National House-Building Council (NHBC). A total of 37,582 new homes were registered, split between 30,046 in the private sector and 7,536 in the public sector, between August and October. By comparison, 37,707 were recorded in the same period in 2014. The number of [...]
Two-thirds of London SMEs have their sights set on new markets, compared to just over half across the UK as a whole November 25, 2015 Two-thirds (66 per cent) of London small and medium enterprises (SMEs) plan to venture into new markets in the next two years. In a survey of over 1,000 British SMEs released today by Albion Ventures, more than half (58 per cent) of SMEs across the UK as a whole also said they planned to step [...]