Sluggish growth and rising costs prevents SMEs expanding
Last week’s GDP figures from the Office for National statistics confirmed growth of just 0.2% in the second quarter of this year.
EU is relying on small businesses to drive recovery
The small business sector is crucial to EU growth, according to Helena Walsh, the Brussels regional director for Cicero Consulting.
SMEs lack confidence in trading with EU countries
Although the majority of SMEs in the UK have faith in exports leading the economic recovery, nearly 25% say they are going to decrease their international trading activity.
Marginal GDP rise takes us back to where we were 6 months ago
Figures released last Wednesday showed a 0.5% increase in GDP in the first quarter of 2011. This balanced out the drop of 0.5% in the final quarter of last year, which was blamed on the abnormal weather we saw in December.
Are umbrella contractors confident about the economy?
Umbrella contractors are having to cope with conflicting messages about consumer confidence in the UK.
George Osborne must deliver a small business friendly Budget
As budget day looms ever closer, various organisations have been urging the government to create an environment that supports entrepreneurs, small businesses and umbrella company contractors.
Have TV business shows inspired you to go it alone?
Have you been inspired to become an entrepreneur because of TV? If so, you’re not alone, according to research from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
SMEs spend weeks trying to understand government regulations
The problem of the multitude of different government regulations is now so bad that businesses often breach them simply because they don’t know which rules apply to them, according to a new report from the National Audit Office.
Interest rates will remain historically low for a bit longer
The Bank of England base rate is to remain at its historically low rate of 0.5%, at least for the immediate future, the Monetary Policy Committee has announced.
Do foreign sports stars provide more value than scientists?
The government’s plan to impose an immigration cap on non European Union migrants is again causing concern amongst professional recruiters.
Good news for UK contractors
According to new data released from the British Chambers of Commerce, contractors across many UK industries may be in for some good news: the BCC predicts that British GDP will rise by 1.7 per cent this year and 2.2 per cent the following year.
Default retirement age expected to be scrapped
The coalition is considering scrapping the default retirement age as from October next year.
