Umbrella company contractors with international skills could find themselves in demand after Vince Cable said people with such skills were in short supply.
During a speech to the British Council, the business minister pointed out that companies need staff with cultural awareness, linguistic abilities and overseas experience if the UK is to achieve sustainable economic growth. In order to ensure this, the workforce in the UK must understand that globalisation is important to their careers and that without these skills we will be less likely to be a competitive force on the international stage.
Cable went on to say that at the moment the UK firms are not well enough equipped to conduct international business at the required level. We currently have a situation where companies that trade with other cultures are having difficulties recruiting staff.
He urged British businesses to make sure they have the staff with the skills necessary to conduct business overseas, export goods and services and attract inward investment.
Not only do we not have people with the right skills to do business overseas, it also transpires that British SMEs lag behind their European counterparts when it comes to e-commerce.
Research from the Epson Business council has discovered that just 59% of small firms in the UK think e-commerce provides them with a business opportunity. Across Europe as a whole, the figure is 72%. One in three SMEs in the UK think e-commerce channels threaten their business and although 78% do sell their products or services over the Internet, countries such as Italy have a much larger e-commerce presence.
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