Unemployment rate hits lowest level for 11 years and wage growth holds up June 15, 2016 The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 11 years, as EU referendum fears and the introduction of the national living wage failed to hold back UK firms. Falling from 5.1 per cent last month to five per cent, the headline unemployment rate in the three months to the end of April was the [...]
Used car supermarket driving towards IPO worth up to £240m May 11, 2016 Used car supermarket Motorpoint is driving towards a stock market flotation which could be worth up to £240m. The initial public offering (IPO), which Numis and Rothschild are advising on, could be this week. Some 100m shares are expected to be on offer, with the price range set at 190p-240p, meaning a valuation of between [...]
Females struggle to break free from gender uniformity March 30, 2016 According to a new PwC report, common misconceptions that men are more likely than women to want to work abroad is creating barriers for women working in financial services. The reported misonception greatly contrasts with data that suggests that men in financial services are more likely than women to prefer international assignments before starting a family. In addition, [...]
Our terrible digital skills could be knocking £63bn a year off the UK’s GDP June 13, 2016 Lack of digital know-how is setting the UK economy back billions of pounds a year, a report published today has found. According to the research by the Science and Technology committee, 12.6m adults in the UK lack basic digital skills, while 13 per cent of those leaving university with a computing degree are still unemployed six [...]
Why British homeowners still aren’t buying into the idea of the home connected by smart tech June 29, 2016 Take any object in your home and you can guarantee that at some point a Silicon Valley startup has tried to create a web-enabled version of it. The ever expanding “Internet of Things” (IoT), as it’s clunkily termed, now includes almost every household item under the sun. Many are useful, such as thermostats, light bulbs, [...]
UK companies looking outside the office for new leaders, but they’re not staying once they get there April 19, 2016 UK companies are more likely to take their hunt for a leader outside the office compared with their overseas counterparts, research released today has found. According to the study by Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting business, over half (58 per cent) of chief executives appointed in the UK last year were external candidates, compared with a global [...]
Tech, media and telecoms executives concerned workforces won’t be able to keep up with technological advancements March 24, 2016 Technology, media and telecoms (TMT) executives are worried their workforces won't be able to keep up with technological advancements, according to a new report. PwC found TMT bosses are positive about the prospect of new developments driving revenue growth. But one of the top threats facing their growth prospects is a “shortage of tech-savvy skilled workers who can keep up with [...]
Signs of life in London’s flotation market as firms consider IPO options May 3, 2016 There are signs of life in London's flotation market after a slow start to the year. Furniture retailer The Range and store card maker NewDay are both considering initial public offerings (IPOs), which could value each company at more than £1bn. Today, audio visual and document solutions distributor Midwich announced it had raised £75m through a [...]
Bookies from Ladbrokes escorted away from City Hall for hustling odds on Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan ahead of tomorrow’s vote May 4, 2016 As London prepares to welcome a new mayor on Friday, tensions are running high at City Hall. Bookies at Ladbrokes found this out the hard way when they were kicked out of the mayor's offices for hustling odds on mayoral hopefuls Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith. Political gambling expert Alex Donohue told The Capitalist the betmakers took [...]
UK’s newly found entrepreneurial ecosystem must be protected from Brexit negativity, says Business Growth Fund chief executive August 1, 2016 It’s difficult to imagine Stephen Welton, the chief executive of the Business Growth Fund (BGF), in a Gymbox, a company whose Twitter biography reads: “We believe that going out and working out should be one and the same thing, and that hot and sweaty exercise should be pure unadulterated entertainment.” “I don’t know if you’ve [...]