Low-income households and the elderly have been badly hit by the recession, according to research conducted by the BBC and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
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.
Umbrella company contractors should start considering their retirement now. Recent research, carried out by Defaqto, shows that 44% of adults in the UK are not confident that they will be able to sustain a reasonable standard of living once they retire. That’s a rise from 38% last year.
The auto-enrolment pension scheme will cost SMEs and umbrella companies an average of £2,550, but the true cost of administering it could be horrendous, warns the FSB.
The UK recruitment sector needs to be on the lookout for opportunities during the economic recovery, according to an economist from Barclays Corporate.
Young umbrella company contractors need to be encouraged to save for their retirement, but in order to make the prospect appealing, the UK pensions industry need to undergo radical reform, according to George Ladds from the Fair Investment Company.
Both the BCC and the CBI have hit out at the coalition’s proposal to abolish the default retirement age from April 2011. The BCC’s director of policy, Adam Marshall, says this will restrict the ability of businesses to manage their workforce.
Morale is currently low at HMRC and employees have now been warned that they are in for tough times ahead. Chief Executive, Lesley Strathie, informed staff that they need to be realistic about the challenges they face.