Summer shoppers hesitant to return to high streets as footfall down 34% on pre-pandemic levels August 6, 2021 High street footfall in July was down by one third on the same month in 2019, before the pandemic, showing businesses still have a long way to go in rebuilding lost trade. High street footfall declined by 34.6 per cent in July compared to 2019, 1.2 percentage points below last month’s rate, according to data [...]
Pingdemic plagues UK jobs market as wages rise at fastest pace in over two decades August 6, 2021 The UK jobs market continues to be plagued by severe worker shortages caused by the “pingdemic” and intense job insecurity, but wages are rises at fastest pace in over two decades, according to new figures published today. KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation research shows candidate volumes for unfilled jobs fell at the second [...]
The Office: Clean air becoming a key part of the return August 6, 2021 If London is to get back on its economic feet after the COVID-19 pandemic, it needs workers to come back to the office. Many people are saying that the future of work will be different, with employees requesting more of a balance between office and home working. Maybe so, but some employers will insist on [...]
WPP raises forecast, following further revenue growth August 5, 2021 WPP today reported continuing strong results for the first half of the year, in a sign of optimism for the global marketing industry. The London-listed ad giant reported revenue growth of 9.8 per cent and new net business worth almost $3bn in the first six months of the year as more customers return to investing [...]
Ethereum upgrade incoming as price continues to surge August 5, 2021 Crypto at a glance The Ethereum price continues to soar this morning ahead of today’s big upgrade, up 8% over the past 24 hours to almost $2,700. The latest push means Ethereum is up more than 16% over the week, with five Ethereum Improvement Proposals set to get incorporated into the blockchain’s code today. The [...]
Does big tech have a blind spot? August 5, 2021 The giants of Big Tech have emerged as the undoubted corporate victors of the past decade. Throughout that period, companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google dominated the global marketplace, capturing ever-larger market shares and destroying upstart competitors in their way. These firms built impressive businesses, and investors rewarded their achievements with doubly impressive valuations: the [...]
Rethinking the future of work August 5, 2021 According to Lynda Gratton, global expert in the field of organizational behavior and the future of work, by 2030 a third of current tasks performed in 60% of jobs will become automated – and between 20 and 50 million digital jobs will be created. Read this article to discover how to anticipate and prepare for [...]
How a combination of skilled people and AI will shape tech and telecoms August 5, 2021 Machines will undertake more tasks than humans by 2025, compared to 71 per cent being performed by humans in 2018. Although this finding, from the World Economic Forum, might seem scary, the good news is that the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) could create 58 million ‘net’ new jobs. But if you’re in the tech [...]
Slowing US labour market recovery tempers Wall Street August 4, 2021 US shares dropped sharply on Wednesday morning after weaker than expected payrolls data tempered investor sentiment. The blue-chip S&P 500 dipped 0.42 per cent to 4,404, while the Dow Jones was clipped 0.78 per cent to 34,848. The tech-heavy Nasdaq edged down 0.06 per cent 14,752. Read more: Demand ‘peaks’ as US services recovery slows [...]
Demand ‘peaks’ as US services recovery slows August 4, 2021 The pace of the recovery in the US services industry slowed markedly over the last month, prompted by the initial rebound in demand triggered by the Covid unlocking easing, according to a closely watched survey. IHS Markit’s US services purchasing managers’ index for July dropped to 59.9, the lowest reading since February of this year, [...]