UK employers cut jobs as tax hikes bite April 15, 2025 High wage growth persisted in the three months to February, official data has shown, but a rapid drop in payrolled employment pointed to concerning trends in the labour market. Annual growth in average weekly earnings excluding bonuses hit 5.9 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday. But separate tax data showed [...]
UK resilience buoys Robert Walters amid global hiring slowdown April 15, 2025 Recruiter Robert Walters reported a tough first quarter of 2025, amid a global hiring slowdown and persistent economic uncertainty weighing heavily on recruitment activity. The group cited a combination of cautious employer sentiment, escalating trade tariffs, and shifting economic landscape as key factors disrupting the field. Despite the broader slowdown, the UK was the group’s [...]
Halfords: Sales jump but retailer warns tariffs could hit supply chain April 15, 2025 Motoring and cycling specialist Halfords has reported an uptick in sales but warned US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could push up costs across its supply chain. The retailer and services provider told markets this morning that sales grew 2.3 per cent in the year to March 28. Its share price rose more than 13 per [...]
Income at UK fintech Wise jumps as payment volumes soar April 15, 2025 Money transfer firm Wise posted an increase to fourth quarter income driven by growth in international payments. The fintech, which enables digital payments for consumers and businesses, booked an underlying income of £350m for the fourth quarter. This was a 13 per cent increase from the previous quarter. Cross-border volumes soared 28 per cent to [...]
Retail sales rise in March but tariff turmoil signals trouble ahead April 15, 2025 Retail sales rose in March despite low consumer confidence, according to new data, but tariff uncertainty is likely to dampen the recovery. Total retail sales increased by 1.1 per cent year on year in March, with 1.6 per cent growth in food sales and 0.6 per cent growth in non-food sales. While this was below [...]
London’s beloved corner shops can’t survive more red tape April 15, 2025 Red tape, business rates and vape bans are at risk of pushing corner shops to the brink, writes Andrew Boff.
Trump’s tariffs to cause pandemic-level fall in trade April 14, 2025 President Donald Trump’s tariffs are set to knock trillions of dollars off world GDP, fresh forecasts suggest, as businesses reel from major disruption to global trading patterns. A spate of new tariffs on goods ranging from European cars to Chinese toys will take the US’ effective tariff rate from 2.5 per cent to over 20 [...]
Early action, better odds: Why UK businesses must act before it’s too late April 14, 2025 UK businesses are struggling through the rapid economic changes. So when the breaking point comes, the earlier they act, the better chance they have
Finance bosses predict sharpest hiring drop since 2020 after tariff uncertainty April 14, 2025 Finance bosses expect the sharpest decline in corporate hiring since the third quarter of 2020 as geopolitical risks escalate. A fresh report from Deloitte has showed signs of a waning job market with wage growth expect to slow from 3.6 per cent to three per cent. A net 14 per cent of chief financial officers [...]
‘It’s existential’: Unpacking a looming tax scarier than the National Insurance hike April 13, 2025 For William Fugard, chief executive and co-founder of Gusto Organic, headaches caused by issues beyond his control are an occupational hazard. The terms on which the UK decided to leave the European Union meant that – in 2019 – the cost of exporting a pallet of his firm’s premium soft drinks went from £70 to [...]