Four secrets of the happiest Londoners: The perfect salary, commute time, hours of sleep and morning alarm time August 18, 2015 Londoners may be accused of being a miserable bunch (and tourists standing on the wrong side of the escalator are often blamed), but there are a few things that will perk us right up. Surprisingly, getting up at 5am is one of them. Or that's according to findings of research into the habits of 12,000 [...]
Bank of England analysts believe Twitter could help predict a bank run, early signs of unemployment data and market movements August 18, 2015 Bank of England analysts believe Twitter and other social media give “much potential for central banks” to predict market movements, indicate unemployment data ahead of time and even give signs of an impending bank run. In the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum a team of analysts and IT experts within the BoE built [...]
UK inflation: Rail fares have risen “three times faster” than wages – but next year will be lowest increase for years August 18, 2015 Next year could the the first time in years that commuters beat the annual rail fare rise, with the rate based on July's inflation data published today. Economists have previously tipped the inflation measure to be around one per cent for July – the month which regulated rail fares are set by. That would make it [...]
FTSE chief executive pay: How long would it take you to earn as much as these top 10 highest earners? August 17, 2015 The pay packets of the FTSE 100's top bosses has fallen in real terms, with chief executives taking home around £80,000 less than previous years, adjusting for inflation. You probably won't see any of them cutting back, though. That's a drop in the ocean of their annual income from salaries, bonuses, share awards and other remuneration, which [...]
Unemployed young people to attend job “boot camp” under new government plans August 17, 2015 Young unemployed people will be forced to attend a “boot camp” to help them back into work, under new plans set out by the government today. The compulsory three-week camp is part of a “no excuses” approach to reducing youth unemployment, said paymaster general Matt Hancock in a statement. The policy will come into force [...]
UK company pension deficits could not be plugged by annual salary of every UK employee August 17, 2015 The annual salary of every employee in the UK couldn't pay off the pension deficit of its private companies which has more than tripled in the last 15 years. The combined shortfall of the UK private sector's defined benefit schemes stands at around £900bn, up from £250bn at the start of the millennium, despite millions [...]
Surprise drop in top dog pay: Report shows FTSE chiefs taking home less cash in real terms August 16, 2015 Average pay packages for FTSE 100 chief execs fell in real terms over the course of the most recently-recorded year, according to a new report out today. Bosses at British blue chip firms took home an average of £4.96m in 2014, compared with £4.92m in 2013, according to the High Pay Centre think tank. Adjusting [...]
Most UK tech professionals would consider moving abroad: US, Australia and Canada top of the list August 16, 2015 Silicon Roundabout has proved a lure for many UK tech professionals, but maybe the pull of good coffee and free wifi is wearing off. Nearly three quarters in the industry say they would consider moving abroad for work if the right job came up, according to a poll out today. The figures, based on a [...]
Number of confident City workers looking to move jobs doubles in a year August 16, 2015 New figures show workers are becoming more eager to switch jobs, suggesting greater confidence in the economy. The number of professionals looking for new opportunities climbed by 27 per cent in July compared with June, recruiter Morgan McKinley said this morning. While summer tends to see more people looking for vacancies, the 15,866 workers both [...]
The UK 50-plus employment rate has hit a record high August 15, 2015 Britain's workforce is being bolstered by a sea of older workers, with the number of people aged 50 and over in employment at a record high. Official data released earlier this week showed the number of people aged between 50 and 64 who have a job rose by 50,000 in the last quarter. And this [...]