Factory workers look abroad July 5, 2012 Workers in British factories are more likely to look abroad for job opportunities than employees in other sectors, according to a survey released this morning by totaljobs.com. Across the whole workforce, America remains the most popular destination for potential emigrants, with Spain staying strong in fourth place, despite its economic and banking crisis, which has [...]
Skill gaps despite record grades July 5, 2012 Huge numbers of workers have skills gaps, despite rising educational qualifications, said the Office for National Statistics yesterday. In 2011 employers reported that roughly 1.5m employees had skills gaps, despite nearly 53 per cent achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C in the school year 2009/10.
UK oil industry issues warning over regulation July 5, 2012 PLANS from Europe for further regulation in the oil and gas industry would hit the UK, a report published yesterday warned. The Oil and Gas UK 2012 economic report claims that production will be hampered by the proposed new measures which will put regulation in the hands of Brussels. EU-wide rules on offshore drilling will [...]
Ofcom moves to cap BT’s wholesale prices July 5, 2012 TELECOMS giant BT could see its revenues suffer following yesterday’s proposal by Ofcom of price caps on its wholesale charges. The telecoms regulator wants to cap the fees BT charges for the lease of its telecom lines, which provide high-speed links for businesses, broadband providers and mobile services. The proposals follow a review by Ofcom, [...]
Airlines agree to axe confusing card fees after watchdog probe July 5, 2012 AIRLINES are to ditch hidden debit card fees next month following an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Twelve companies including Ryanair and Thomas Cook have pledged to declare any extra debit card charges in the headline price of a ticket, abolishing the practice of imposing surprise fees at the end of online [...]
Vodafone pay package backed by ABI with blue top approval July 5, 2012 VODAFONE’S pay package was yesterday classed an inoffensive “blue top” by the ABI, which recommended shareholders vote in favour of the remuneration report. Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Vodafone, was paid £3m in salary, bonus and benefit payments in 2011, a year in which Vodafone dished out a hefty £10.2bn to its investors and became [...]
EasyJet and Aer Lingus enjoy rise in low-cost air customers July 5, 2012 EASYJET carried almost a tenth more passengers in June compared to a year ago, figures out yesterday showed. The low-cost airline said it took 5.43m passengers last month, up 9.7 per cent on June 2011, while its load factor, a measure of how full its flights are, jumped 1.6 percentage points to 89.9 per cent. [...]
Babcock sees stable trading July 5, 2012 ENGINEERING support services group Babcock yesterday said it was trading in line with expectations, helped by cost-cutting and clients outsourcing more work. Babcock said that its order book was stable at around £13bn. Meanwhile 80 per cent of revenue expected in 2012/2013 is already contracted, it said. It added that it was pursuing new contracts [...]
LONDON 2012 IMAGE OF THE WEEK July 5, 2012 THE Olympic canoe slalom course at the Lee Valley White Water Centre was the focus of attention this week, as athletes from 30 national teams tested the venue. Built on a 10,000 square metre lake, the slalom pumps out 13 cubic metres of water each second. Between now and the start of the Olympics, City [...]
RBS withdraws from Tibor panel July 5, 2012 RBS yesterday said it had withdrawn from the panels that set Tibor – the Japanese equivalent of Libor. RBS said the move was part of a strategic decision taken by chief executive Stephen Hester to rationalise its markets business. Despite the move, RBS said that it “remained committed” to the Japanese market.
