Permanent staff recruitment falls sharply in January February 5, 2021 The latest national lockdown led to permanent staff hires plummeting in January, according to a UK jobs report. Research conducted by KPMG and REC shows the reduction was driven by the return of tough coronavirus measures and greater economic uncertainty. The resurgence of Covid-19 also caused growth in short-term vacancies to weaken in most sectors. [...]
EY to buy Frank Hirth’s UK business, leaving some staff in limbo February 3, 2021 Big Four firm EY will acquire the UK business of tax advisory and compliance business Frank Hirth for an undisclosed fee. Around 200 employees and more than 5,000 clients of Frank Hirth will move across to EY. Four Frank Hirth employees currently working out of New Zealand have been left in limbo as a result [...]
City Moves for 3 February: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 3, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. New head of UK business for BNP Paribas REIM French firm BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management (BNP Paribas REIM) has appointed a new UK business head to manage its multi-billion-pound real estate [...]
KPMG partners take 11 per cent pay cut as Covid-19 eats into profits February 3, 2021 Partners at KPMG have had their pay cut by an average of 11 per cent, from some £640,000 to £572,000, as Covid-19 hit profits and revenue at the firm. KPMG’s chairman was paid £1.7m for the year, a decrease of 14 per cent on 2019. Partners across Big Four firms saw pay cuts in [...]
Pilots slam Norwegian Air over owed salaries following UK collapse February 2, 2021 Pilots have hit back at Norwegian Air after it emerged the airline will not pay outstanding salaries to laid-off staff following the collapse of its UK operations. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) today said staff were demanding answers as to why they had been left with “absolutely nothing”. Norwegian Air last month announced it [...]
Private equity deal activity bounces back in second half of 2020 February 1, 2021 Private equity activity in the UK bounced back in the second half of 2020, but the spring’s lockdown meant that the total number of deals fell to the lowest level in seven years. According to Big Four auditor KPMG, 889 deals were completed last year, with a total value of £87.2m. The figure is the [...]
Challenger audit firms prep for forced audit separation January 29, 2021 Challenger audit firms are readying themselves for audit separation, a requirement not yet expected of them, but one they see as inevitable in the future. Last summer audit regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) ordered the Big Four firms – Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY – to separate their audit units from the rest of their [...]
UK tech sector outpaces entire private sector January 29, 2021 The UK’s tech sector expanded at a stronger rate than the entire private sector last quarter and is set to reach a four-and-a-half year high this year. Tech saw another rise in business activity in the fourth quarter, according to IHS Markit and KPMG research, although the pace of expansion slowed amid a wider economic [...]
Revealed: How have audit industry rankings changed in 15 years? January 27, 2021 From success stories to hours of struggle, the audit market and its key players have changed considerably in the last decade and half. Challenger firm BDO has been the standout success story of the past 15 years, doubling its client count to 314 and snatching first place for number of clients away from Big Four [...]
Shock to the system: Ofgem proposes new body to run electricity network January 25, 2021 Ofgem has this morning submitted proposals for the creation of an independent body to run the UK’s electricity network, in what would be a radical shake-up of the way the country’s power is managed. Such a body, the watchdog says, could save consumers up to £4.8bn by 2050, while leading the country’s charge towards net [...]