Nameless CVs: David Cameron to announce new measures aimed at reducing discrimination using ‘name-blind’ recruitment October 26, 2015 A selection of major public and private sector employers are pledging to operate ‘name-blind’ recruitment for their graduate roles to tackle discrimination, the Prime Minister will announce later today. Organisations signing the pledge, who employ 1.8 million people between them, include bank HSBC, professional services firms Deloitte and KPMG, the BBC and NHS England. The [...]
Medium-sized businesses outperforming FTSE 100 firms in the profits game – BDO October 26, 2015 Profits at medium-sized businesses are outperforming FTSE 100 constituents, according to new research published today. According to accountancy firm BDO, firms with revenue between £10m to £300m have recorded profits up an average of 110 per cent compared to FTSE 100 shrinkage of three per cent. Turnover growth at mid-sized companies has also been strong, up [...]
Free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute calls for controversial welfare overhaul October 26, 2015 The government should replace all major welfare payments with “negative income tax”, an eyebrow-raising report from free market campaign group the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has suggested. The call to ditch tax credits, jobseeker’s allowance, and the universal credit system for a new system comes as the government has taken fire for changes to tax [...]
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 [...]
TalkTalk cyber attack: Chief exec Dido Harding comes out fighting over data hacking crisis October 26, 2015 TalkTalk chief exec Dido Harding showed no sign of bowing to calls for her resignation last night, insisting that the company could emerge stronger from a hacking crisis that has seen more than a billion items of customer data stolen from its website. Baroness Harding, who became a Conservative peer last year, said that Labour politicians [...]
Volkswagen emissions scandal: German transport minister to meet US senior officials today to discuss VW October 25, 2015 Germany’s transport minister is in the US today to meet senior officials as Berlin seeks to put a lid on the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Alexander Dobrindt will discuss US regulators’ plans to increase scrutiny on automotive pollution with transportation secretary Anthony Foxx and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency. VW, the largest employer in Germany, could [...]
Toronto mayor John Tory falls in love with London’s Docklands on visit October 25, 2015 Perhaps it isn’t news that a conservative that goes by the name of “Tory” took a shine to Canary Wharf this weekend, but one conservative Canadian’s sheer jubilation at the sight of a Tube map was just too good not to share. Following the Canadian general election, which saw the country’s Liberal party swan into office [...]
UK steel crisis: Industry leaders to be grilled by MPs after Tata Steel and SSI closures October 25, 2015 The extent of the crisis that has engulfed Britain’s steel industry will be laid bare tomorrow when business ministers and industry figures are questioned by a committee of MPs. The Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee hearing, set for tomorrow afternoon, will address the problems of cheap steel from China, rising energy costs, and [...]
Challenger bank Virgin Money replaces KPMG with PwC as auditors for 2016 October 25, 2015 Virgin Money announced on Friday that it is appointing PwC as auditor, provided shareholders approve of the move at the 2016 annual meeting. The appointment of PwC will replace the Virgin Money’s current auditors, KPMG, who have audited the bank since 2004. In Virgin Money’s notification of change of auditors, Norman McLuskie, chairman of Virgin [...]
Bar Standards Board reveals concerns around diversity at barristers’ chambers October 25, 2015 Diversity at barristers’ chambers is improving but there are still some concerning areas, a Bar Standards Board (BSB) report has revealed. The report on 170 high impact chambers, which are those where it would be serious if something went wrong, said that while many showed a “real desire” to encourage greater diversity, the number of [...]
