Immigration after Brexit: Here’s how the City reacted to Sajid Javid’s white paper December 19, 2018 The government has outlined proposals for rules on immigration after the UK leaves the European Union next year, prompting a flurry of responses from business leaders across the City. Unveiled by home secretary Sajid Javid this afternoon, the document said low-skilled workers entering the UK from EU countries will no longer receive automatic approval to work in [...]
Small firms less upbeat as skills gap gets wider September 6, 2015 The supply of skilled workers available for London firms to hire is plunging at its fastest rate for 18 years. The skills shortage adds to the headache of small businesses, which have had a worrisome summer after the introduction of a national living wage and higher dividend taxes. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) barometer [...]
Skills gap is bigger threat than Brexit: Talent shortages to hit UK economic growth, warn finance chiefs September 4, 2015 Top UK finance chiefs are more unnerved by their lack of access to talented labour than they are by the threat of Britain leaving the EU, the Bank of England hiking borrowing costs or even the abrupt slowdown in China that has sent shockwaves throughout global financial markets. Fear over dwindling access to skilled [...]
The UK’s skills shortage is getting worse: It’s time for a shake up in the classroom and the boardroom September 3, 2015 There’s an elephant in the boardroom. According to a survey of the finance directors of many of the UK’s largest companies, it casts a greater shadow than China or Brexit or the hacking horrors of cyber attacks. It’s the new number one at the top of Britain's risk registers – the difficulty of recruiting [...]
Britain’s skills shortage: Train your temps – it’s a win-win for both business and employee September 3, 2015 A flexible workforce is key to 21st century businesses success. The UK economy has evolved since the recession and we have seen a new dynamism emerge emphasising employee flexibility. In fact, there has been a more than 20 per cent increase in the number of temporary workers in the past five years. Businesses know success [...]
Young women think engineering is unglamorous, and it’s resulting in a skills shortage August 26, 2015 I believe I have one of the most exciting jobs around. I work on projects that affect millions of people every single day, striving to deliver a safe and high-performing railway for Britain. And yes, I am an engineer and I am a woman. Read more: From the Shard to Crossrail: Five female engineers shaping [...]
Apprenticeship levy faces new round of critics August 21, 2015 Business groups are pushing back today on government plans to fund apprenticeships with a new tax on large firms, saying the measure would prove “costly” and “bureaucratic”. Chancellor George Osborne first proposed an “apprenticeship levy” last month in his Summer Budget, saying that too many large companies “leave the training to others and take a [...]
London can be top of the pile for skills and tech: New York shows us how August 19, 2015 Everyone in this city has their own story. Mine, like so many Londoners, is of someone whose parents moved here to make a better life for themselves and their family. And now, as my campaign picks up momentum, I’m fighting hard to become Labour’s candidate to be mayor of London. What an incredible honour. I [...]
UK housing: Skills shortages forcing construction firms to turn down building work August 19, 2015 Is a skills shortage fuelling the UK housing market's supply issues? Research published today suggests that two-thirds (66 per cent) of small and medium construction firms have had to turn down work because they don't have the staff to carry it out, according to the Federation of Master Buildings. London has the biggest [...]
Employers turn to graduates as skills shortages bite August 10, 2015 Businesses are turning more towards graduates and apprentices to fill their skills gaps, new survey figures reveal this morning. Apprentices are currently seen as the best way to fill skills gaps by 33 per cent of employers, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). It marks a climb on spring 2014’s 22 [...]