Skills gap grows and threatens UK productivity September 28, 2015 UK employers are facing even greater skills shortages and rising wage pressures, according to a new report from global recruiters Hays. Since 2012, the UK’s talent mismatch level – the gap between the skills people can offer and those employers are looking for – has increased every year. The UK now has a talent mismatch [...]
EU referendum: Fast-growing UK firms want to remain in the European Union and say Brexit will negatively impact their business September 28, 2015 High-growth companies are overwhelmingly in favour of Britain remaining in the European Union, according to a poll out yesterday. ECI Partners, a private equity firm, polled more than 300 fast-growing British firms over the summer, finding that nine out of 10 want the UK to remain in the EU. Just over half said [...]
Better to climb the ladder in work than find a new job as average UK salary has dropped 3.3 per cent in 2015 September 28, 2015 Hate your boss? It might still be better to stay put, as new data reveal the average UK advertised salary has dropped 3.3 per cent this year to £33,318. Figures from jobs database Adzuna, show that while advertised salaries have slipped, wages for those in work have risen more than 2.9 per cent. [...]
Recruitment firm Robert Half UK opens flagship office in The Shard September 28, 2015 The Shard has bagged itself another tenant after recruitment firm Robert Half UK launched a new flagship office in the skyscraper yesterday. The US-listed company, which has more than 340 offices worldwide, has taken 20,200 square feet of offices on the 10th floor of the building. It is consolidating its three London branches as well [...]
Oil firm Petroceltic wins investor injunction September 28, 2015 Oil firm Petroceltic was granted an injunction against activist investor Worldview Capital Management yesterday, blocking it from proceeding with an attempt to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The High Court of Ireland has prohibited Switzerland-based Worldview from going ahead with the meeting, which had been scheduled for 5 October. Worldview called for the EGM [...]
Hefty refurbishments leave Everyman cinemas with £430,000 loss in six months September 28, 2015 Everyman cinema group announced it made a loss of £430,000 despite a 31 per cent increase in revenues in the six months to 10 June. The premium cinema operator’s revenues were £8.16m, boosted by an increase in ticket sales and net spend per customer, but up from £6.2m in the first half of last year. [...]
Diversity on executive boards: Better for business September 28, 2015 Diversity on executive boards can help companies to outperform firms with all-male leaderships, according to new research from Grant Thornton. A study by the group estimates that the opportunity cost, in terms of lower returns on assets, for companies with male-only boards was £430bn in 2014. The report, Women in business: the value of diversity, [...]
Insurance survey shows firms lack tech knowledge September 28, 2015 Insurance firms are upbeat about the sector, but may not be fully aware of the implications that FinTech developments hold for them, according to research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and PwC. The set of data reveals that all sectors continue to expect to increase spending on information technology – the most common [...]
Whole Foods to axe 1,500 jobs in eight weeks – but not in the UK September 28, 2015 Whole Foods, the upmarket US food chain, announced it will cut around 1,500 jobs over the next eight weeks as part of a cost-cutting drive designed to free up cash to invest in the business. The supermarket group, which has around 424 stores and employs over 80,000 people, said the cuts were designed to free [...]
Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus: New iPhones set “phenomenal” sales record September 28, 2015 Apple sold 13m iPhones in the debut weekend of new models iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, smashing through previous sales records. Chief executive Tim Cook described the sales rush as “phenomenal”, saying they had "blown past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history". When the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released a [...]