Business News Articles

Staff waste years in wrong jobs
The average person spends almost five years in jobs that do not make the best use of their skills, according to a poll by the Skills Commission. The research found that millions of years are wasted in this manner, with the average length of time spent in unsuitable positions four years and 10 months. ... more

Nationwide U-turn on house prices
The Nationwide has reversed its prediction that there would be no overall change in house prices at the end of this year and forecast that prices will continue to fall. The building society said prices fell by 0.6% in March, taking the annual increase to 1.1%, the lowest level since March 1996. The figure for the past three months revealed a fall of 1.5%. ... more

One in three chance of recession
The UK faces a one in three chance of going into a recession over the next two years, according to a report by investment bank Lehman Brothers. The report warns that rising mortgage rates will cut the amount of money consumers spend, which could have a detrimental impact on consumer-facing businesses and company spending. ... more

Search on for enterprising regions
Hotspots of enterprise have just a few weeks left to get their entry in for the regional heats of Enterprising Britain 2008. The awards, run by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), seek to recognise the areas where enterprise has helped to transform the social and economic fortunes of their communities. ... more

Terminal 5 beset by problems
The launch of the new Heathrow Terminal 5 has been beset by a succession of problems that saw over 60 flights cancelled in the first two days and passengers forced to sleep overnight at the airport. Many of the problems stemmed from the inability of the baggage systems to cope with the demands placed on it, while there were also reports of airport staff being unable to get through security and... more

Road taxes ‘hit green plans’
Government initiatives to encourage small businesses to use more fuel-efficient company cars will be overshadowed by the burden of additional transport taxes, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has warned. The rate of VAT on fuel increased by 2p a litre in October last year and while another 2p rise in April 2008 was delayed in the Budget, this was only put off until October. ... more

TV show boost for franchising
The new series of The Apprentice will see a surge in demand for franchising, according to Domino’s Pizza. The franchise company reported sales enquiries rose by 50% when the series was shown last year, peaking the day after episode eight. ... more

Call to speed up injury claims
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has again called for the government to implement a more efficient system for settling personal injury claims. The organisation claims the average motor accident personal injury claim takes 730 days to settle, while workplace claims took three years. ... more

Firms ‘five hours from disaster’
Being offline for just five hours could put a company's future at risk, according to a business ISP. Research conducted by Star Technologies found that many customers now see the internet as their main business communication vehicle and perceive a site that has gone down in the same way they would a company that has ceased trading. ... more

Call for action on mortgages
The Council of Mortgage Lenders has called on the Bank of England to act to improve the amount of liquidity in the mortgage market as banks struggle to meet demand for loans. The organisation revealed that gross mortgage lending fell by 7% in February to £24bn as banks restricted the amount of money they lent. ... more