The latest employment statistics, released by the ONS last week, showed a 0.1% decrease in the unemployment rate.
In the quarter ending February 2012, 2.65 million people were without a job in the UK, a quarter-on-quarter drop of 35,000. Despite this, there were around 170,000 more people without a job than there were at the corresponding time last year, an ONS spokesman said.
It is thought that the increase can in some ways be attributed to a rise in the number of people accepting part-time rather than full-time positions.
The latest report also showed that base salaries rose by 1.6% in the 12-month period, but bonus awards in the first two months of this year were lower than they were in January and February last year.
The FPB believes that the employment rate would rise further if the government stuck to its promise of cutting red tape for small business owners. Phil McCabe, the Forum’s senior policy adviser, said the coalition needs to reduce bureaucracy and improve the tax system if Britain’s small businesses are to stimulate the jobs market.
David Cameron is relying on small businesses to drive economic growth but they need incentives, he added. The FPB has repeatedly asked the government to extend the National insurance Holiday to all firms and not just those in specific areas of the country. Furthermore, Mr McCabe would like employment law simplified so that employers have more control when it comes to staffing decisions.
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Image: 146 – Scaffold poles by MrB-MMX
