Business and Economics

The employment rate is at the highest level since records began in 1971, according to ONS data. There were just 1.6 million unemployed people from July to September 2016, 37,000 fewer than for April to June 2016 and 146,000 fewer than for a year earlier. However, the number economically inactive people increased, with 8.89 million people aged from 16 to 64 not working and not seeking or available to work, 49,000 more than for April to June 2016. ONS Statistician David Freeman said...

For many businesses, talking about bitcoin is like talking in a foreign language. With adoption levels currently quite low, most business people know little or nothing about it. As a consequence, apart from early adopters, most businesses are avoiding it as an unnecessary inconvenience. But what if your next great contract is a customer who wanted to pay you in bitcoin? Would you know what to do? Is Bitcoin a secure method of payment? We asked payment specialist Helen Child...

Whilst London real estate is slowing, the North continues to see positive growth. Quidco, the cashback and rewards company owned by the Maple Syrup Media Group, has recently announced that they are moving in to brand new premises in Sheffield’s Fountain Precinct. The 8,750 sq ft office space is nearly treble the size of the 3,000 sq ft that they currently occupy – a clear indication that it is a business set on rapid and dramatic expansion. The business was...

Do the very rich pay their fair share of taxes? The general consensus across the country would probably assume they don’t, well a new report seems to confirm our suspicions. A third of British super-rich people are having their tax situation investigated. Some people may also be surprised that it is only a one in three of the richest people who might be fiddling the system, but it is at least a start. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is running...

This Sunday at 2am winter will truly be upon us as the clocks go back and the nights start getting darker. Unfortunately spending time in the dark is something Brits are used to, in fact new research by Get More Vitamin Drinks has found that the average office worker is only expected to get 52 minutes of daylight a week over this period. In a finding sure to make Brits dread the winter the average worker is reported to leave for...

Regulators need to undergo a cultural change if we are to avoid sleepwalking into the next financial crisis, a new report has found. The study by Cass Business School for New City Agenda revealed that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Bank of England need to go much further to improve transparency and engage with the public, and that the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief executive Andrew Bailey will need to demonstrate his independence from politicians and the financial...

A senior city worker is facing a jail term after sexually assaulting two women at the company’s main office, during drinking sessions described as “Wolf of Wall Street-style.” Anthony Constantinou, head of financial group Capital World Markets (CWM), treated one of his victims "like a piece of meat". The 34-year-old pushed a lump of hot wasabi paste in her mouth, and told her she had a "cracking a*** and pair of t****" before forcing his tongue into her mouth. He...

This will be music to the ears of staunch Brexiteers, but will terrify everyone else. The EU council president, Donald Tusk, has said that there is only one type of Brexit…and it’s a Hard Brexit. Tusk rejected Boris Johnson’s claim that the UK would end up with a better deal with the EU than it has now. Donald’s remarks are the first time he has taken such a hardline against the UK. This comes as there are various reports US...

The digital world is not a safe place and a huge increase in scams and online attacks, show that financial fraud in the first half of 2016 increased 25 per cent to £399.5 million. The figures were released by Financial Fraud Action (FFA UK) today and the sums of money that are being swindled on a daily basis, on-line, are astonishing. However, the amount of money that is actually attempted to be stolen is much larger. On-line security systems at...