Business News Articles

20% of small firms have skills shortage
One in five small firms have been left with skills shortages after cutting staff to try and survive the recession, according to data released by Vodafone. Vodafone's The Working Nation survey also revealed that 37% of businesses have had to make redundancies in the last year and 40% have regrets about some of the staff cuts they have made and the impact these have had on their skills. "Becau... more

Some staff ‘using swine flu to skive’
Small business bosses are concerned that staff are taking advantage over the current fears concerning swine flu to take time off work. Over a 1,000 companies have contacted Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) to seek advice over employees who they fear may be using swine flu as an excuse to be absent from work. "Managers feel that some staff are simply taking advantage of concerns about ... more

Car sales rise 2.4% in July
UK car sales rose for the first time since April last year, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Car sales increased by 2.4% in July compared to the same month last year, a rise that has been attributed to the government's car scrappage scheme. The scheme provides a £2,000 discount when a new car is bought and a car over ten years old is ex... more

Service sector reports growth in July
Activity in the UK's services increased in July, according to data released by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and Markit survey. Just under 25% of service sector companies in Britain reported an increase in sales from the previous month, compared to only 16% that reported a downturn. These figures have led to a balance of 53, the third consecutive month that the figu... more

Rate relief hit by red-tape delays
Small businesses are facing delays in taking advantage of the Government's rate relief scheme because of the complexities of the software needed to calculate the new rates. The scheme - which allows firms to defer payment of 60% of the increase in rates bills - came live last week. Although The Local Government Association believes most councils met the deadline in sending out formal notific... more

Wages increase for low-paid apprentices
The government have increased the minimum pay rate for apprentices from £80 to £95 a week. With the average weekly wage for apprentices standing at around £170 a week this increase will benefit those under 19 and in their first year of apprentices who are exempt from the national minimum wage. "The next move must be to protect apprentices with the minimum wage, so that employers cannot ex... more

House prices rise 1.1% in July
House prices increased for the second time this year in July, according to figures released by Halifax. House prices rose by 1.1% last month, meaning that an average house in the UK is now worth £159,623. This is 12% lower than a year ago but means that prices have dropped just 0.8% since the beginning of the year. Halifax said that prices in the three months to July were 0.8% higher than i... more

50% of bosses contact work on holiday
Small business owners have been warned against the dangers of burning themselves out following data released by Eurooffice.co.uk showing that almost half of business bosses are planning to contact the office while they are away on holiday this summer. 48% of staff said that they intended to contact the office while away this summer and of these 25% will contact the office once a day and 23% wil... more

Decline in construction sector eases
The decline in orders in the construction sector eased in July to the slowest pace for over a year and a half, according to figures released by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). The CIPS index posted a reading of 47 in July, an increase from 44.5 in June. Although the increase is modest, the sector reported contraction at the slowest level in sixteen months. "Optimism ... more

60% of UK staff favour smaller firms
Almost two-thirds of employees would rather work for a smaller business than a larger one, according to research conducted by recruitment firm Angela Mortimer plc. The study of around 1,400 employees found that 60% would choose a comparable offer from a smaller business rather than a large corporate as they believed that smaller firms offer a good working environment and opportunities for caree... more