The freezing December weather caused 38% of small businesses to close and a further 41% to operate without their full complement of staff. The cost to the small business sector was in the region of £2.1bn.
Did bad weather affect umbrella company contractors? » Read the full story
Umbrella company contractors will be pleased to learn that the number of vacancies for temporary staff continued to increase last month.
Opportunities for contractors continue to rise » Read the full story
Dr Ken Beaumont from Workforce Logistics has confirmed what umbrella company contractors have long known; flexible working lowers stress levels!
Flexible working lowers stress levels » Read the full story
2011 could be a busy year for the UK’s small business technology sector as councils struggle to cope with the public sector spending cuts.
Local councils might outsource to IT umbrella contractors » Read the full story
In its election manifesto, the Conservative party promised to implement a fuel duty stabiliser and the FSB is urging them put it in place as soon as possible.
Would a fuel duty stabiliser help umbrella company contractors? » Read the full story
The government is keen to see small businesses grow and to help this happen it has launched some new initiatives. It has also been announced that the New Enterprise Allowance scheme is to be extended in the hope of creating up to 40,000 new companies by 2013.
Government plans new initiatives to help new enterprises » Read the full story
Companies who continued investing in marketing during the credit crisis are now seeing rewards, according to the executive director of the Director Marketing Association, Chris Combemale.
Opportunities aplenty for contractors in digital marketing » Read the full story
The AWR are due to be implemented next October and the REC is now getting ready to launch a wide-ranging support programme to help recruitment agencies and business leaders prepare for the legislation.
REC to provide additional AWR support for its members » Read the full story
Umbrella company contractors have put in claims for around half a million pounds worth of unpaid invoices following the collapse of Albany at the beginning of 2010.
Umbrella company contractors owed money from Albany have longer to wait » Read the full story
The FPB has warned small firms that they will face a number of challenges over the next few years.
SMEs face a challenging few years » Read the full story
Umbrella company contractors and other freelance workers have been warned to be cautious of schemes that claim to be HMRC approved, when really they are referring to the reference number allocated to a scheme.
Overseas tax havens may not be as safe as tax evaders hope » Read the full story
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.
Interest rates will remain historically low for a bit longer » Read the full story
Umbrella company contractors hampered by poor broadband connections could welcome recent government announcements.
Do the government’s new broadband plans go far enough? » Read the full story
Although the government spending cuts may not have a direct impact on everybody, it’s worth bearing in mind the underlying message that the coalition is trying to get through.
Should umbrella company contractors put their faith in an ISA? » Read the full story
There is a mixture of cautious optimism and trepidation amongst freelancers as we start the countdown to 2011. We still have to see the full impact of the government’s CSR and a lot of umbrella company contractors are feeling anxious about their future prospects.
2011 won’t be too bad for IT contractors » Read the full story
Although many people in the UK say they are worried about the state of their own finances, 67% of them have not made any changes to their saving habits since the recession started two years ago.
Make sure your contractor earnings are working for you! » Read the full story
