Government should axe apprenticeship levy and forge skills body, says CBI exec STEM SKILLS The government should axe its levy on apprenticeships, the head of skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said, as the UK wrestles with STEM skills shortages and shrinking talent pools. Speaking to the science and technology Lords committee in parliament yesterday, the CBI’s Robert West urged that an independent government taskforce to [...]
Your career in finance – what really counts City Talk The finance industry is booming. With the purpose-driven gen-z entering the workplace, the finance industry provides an opportunity to make a difference whilst forging a professional career. The recent Future of Skills report published by CFA Institute digs into the priorities of employers and employees in the investment sector and the challenges the industry currently [...]
Hays’ shareholders to catch £170m windfall amid skills shortage dividends Hays, the FTSE recruitment giant, is planning to return nearly £170m in dividends to its shareholders, as “acute skills shortages” mean the company can hike its fees. Bosses plan to dish out some £47.3m in core dividends, and a special dividend of £121.2m, rewarding shareholders with “significant cash” worth £168.5m, chief executive Alistair Cox said [...]
STEM skills shortage continues to hit UK businesses, says Gattaca boss August 17, 2022 The boss of engineering and technology recruiter Gattaca has said the UK’s current shortage of STEM skills is continuing to hit firms. Chief executive Matthew Wragg said today that the London-listed firm was “well placed” as it entered a new financial year, amid a limited supply of the “niche” skills. “There remains a shortage of [...]
More than two thirds of all British businesses face an acute skills shortage resulting in trading hit or stalled growth June 29, 2022 More than three quarters of UK firms have said they are seeing trading hit or growth stalled amid intensifying skills shortages. The Open University’s annual Business Barometer report, which was conducted in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) this year, found that more than two thirds (68%) of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) [...]
University education can’t deliver the skills we need for the economy of the future March 1, 2022 TOO many jobs, wage inflation, and an abundance of flexible working opportunities. Compared to the threat of mass unemployment when the pandemic began two years ago, these feel like better problems to have. But labour market figures released last month revealed one serious problem: an exodus of older workers. Since March 2020, the number of [...]
UK government should upskill managers to level up the country, CMI says February 7, 2022 The UK government should invest in efforts to upskill Britain’s managers in its bid to tackle regional inequality, according to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The trade body for managers said the government should fund schemes to improve Britain’s leadership skills, in order to increase productivity and level up the country. CMI chief executive Ann [...]
Starting salaries see biggest jump on record amid staff shortages October 8, 2021 UK employers are being hit hard by labour shortages giving new starters the upper hand when it comes to negotiating pay. A September survey by the Recruitment and Employment Commission (REC) found that nine in ten employers, some 88 per cent, said their biggest concern for the rest of the year was labour shortages. Amid [...]
Visas for shortage woes are a sticking plaster sowing division between industries October 8, 2021 As thousands of temporary visas to plug shortages across the UK are released in the run up to and beyond Christmas, the uncertainty from affected industries has not abated: Are there enough visas? Do they help sectors in need? And will they address region-specific challenges? In the backdrop, there are yet more shortages. The latest [...]
Global Britain: UK-based HGV driver ads snubbed by EU-applicants October 4, 2021 While the government’s temporary visas for overseas HGV drivers may loosen the choking impacts of the shortage on UK supply chains, there are few truckers coming in from the EU, according to new research. The HGV driver shortage, which triggered both a fuel crisis and pushed a third of mid-size firms to shrink their offering, [...]