One in seven care workers on zero- hours contracts
The latest Office for National Statistics figures show a steep rise in the number of care workers on zero-hours contracts. In 2015, the number stood at roughly one in ten. It is now one in seven. Unemployment steady but employment insecure These figures follow the news that in the three months up to August, UK […]
Ministers urged to tackle Muslim unemployment inequality in the UK
A House of Commons report has revealed that Muslim unemployment is the highest of all the ethnic and religious groups in the UK. The report by the Women and Equalities Committee, found that the average unemployment figure is 5.4%, but the figure among Muslims is 12.8%. The Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK report, […]
Too Many Applicants: Store Swamped at Open Recruitment Event
An electronics shop in Northampton found itself inundated with applicants when it held an open recruitment event. 150 hopeful job hunters queued outside of the CeX shop in Weston Favell, Northampton in January when the shop held an open evening to hire new staff. Whilst there were only four vacancies originally advertised, six people were ultimately offered positions. […]
Best UK Jobs for 2016 Revealed
Employer review website Glassdoor has revealed their list of the 25 best jobs in the UK for the year ahead. Glassdoor identifies the most desirable jobs in the country based on three factors: earning potential, career opportunities and job availability. This is the second such annual survey by the site. Management roles made up eight of the […]
Restaurant Cuts Hours to Improve Quality of Life
An award-winning restaurant has reduced its opening hours in a bid to improve staff quality of life. Hibiscus, a two Michelin-starred establishment run by chef Claude Bosi, has reduced its lunch services from five days to three days a week. Lunch now runs from Thursday to Saturday whilst dinner runs from Tuesday to Saturday, giving staff […]
UK Unemployment Hits Decade Low
UK unemployment held at 5.1% over the three months from November to January, the lowest rate since 2006. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that weekly earnings grew at a faster pace than expected. Meanwhile job creation slowed over the same period. The number of unemployed fell by 28,000 from the last quarter to […]
Off-Payroll Workers Facing Crackdown
A Government clampdown on ‘off-payroll’ workers could change the way that companies use freelance workers and contractors. According to leaked reports, chancellor George Osborne is due to outline plans to reduce tax avoidance in this month’s Autumn Statement. The measures, which have not been officially confirmed, are expected to result in a heavy clampdown on […]
Living Wage Foundation Announces New Rates
The Living Wage Foundation has announced the voluntary Living Wage rates for the next twelve months. For all areas of the UK outside of London the rate has increased from £7.85 to £8.25 per hour. The London Living Wage, which reflects the higher price of living in the capital, has risen from £9.15 to £9.40. […]
Aldi to Pay More than Voluntary Living Wage
German supermarket chain Aldi has committed to pay its UK employees more than the voluntary living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. The supermarket will pay at least £8.40 an hour (£9.45 an hour in London) from February 2016, which is higher than most other UK supermarkets and higher than the Living Wage. This […]
Lidl the Latest Retailer to Pay Living Wage
German retail chain Lidl will become the first UK supermarket to pay the Living Wage. The pay hike will equate to an average wage increase of £1,200 per year for about 9,000 Lidl employees, or just over half of the supermarket’s UK workforce. The increase is due this October, and means that Lidl employees across […]
The Living Wage Budget
This week Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the first completely Conservative budget since 1996, which he used to propose drastic rises to the minimum wage. The new national living wage budget initiative, originally proposed by the Labour Party in the run up to the election, will see the minimum wage increase to £7.20 in April 2016 for over-25s. […]
Reduced National Insurance Contributions for Employees Under 21
This April sees the abolition of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for employees under the age of 21. Chancellor George Osborne announced the changes as part of a Government initiative to reduce unemployment levels amongst young people. The scheme looks set to reduce employee contributions for as many as 340,000 employers across the country, and […]
Tipping Point for Flexible Working in 2017
Next year will see the tipping point for flexible working in the UK, according to new research. Lancaster University’s Work Foundation indicates that over half of UK businesses are likely to adopt flexible working practices by 2017. The paper, ‘Working Anywhere: A Winning Formula for Good Work?’ aimed to estimate when flexible working will become […]
Majority of Employees to Work at Christmas
More than half of UK employees (63%) will be at work at Christmas Eve according to a study by fashion brand Cotton Traders. Over 30% will work on Christmas Day itself. Almost half of those surveyed said that they will do so to earn extra income, with 41% expecting to receive double pay for working at […]
The Mid-Afternoon Slump Explained
The typical mid-afternoon slump has been explained… And the cause isn’t what you might think. Research by the NHS has identified that 2.16 PM is the least productive time of the working day. However rather than being due to the post-lunch ‘food coma’, the mid-afternoon slump is actually caused by rising CO2 levels in the […]
UK Workers Not Taking Full Holiday Allowance
More than half of workers in the UK are not taking their full holiday allowance, according to research by Reed. 54% of employees are leaving an average of three days of holiday a year unused. Nearly half of the respondents (45%) said that they had previously cancelled a holiday for work reasons, whilst 24% said […]
Anti-Avoidance Measures & Zero Hours Contracts
The Government last week published new legislation to protect employees from exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts. These exclusivity clauses prevent employees from taking on secondary jobs to supplement their income. The proposals outline the consequences for any employer found to be enforcing exclusivity clauses, which include the right for the affected employee to seek […]
Room to Improve Internal Mobility Programmes
Research finds that businesses can do more to recruit talent from within. A survey by management firm Futurestep polled over 1,000 employees between September and October of this year. 87% of the executive-level employees said that having a strong internal mobility programme would definitely help with talent attraction and retention. Despite this, two-thirds of the respondents reported that […]
Unlimited Holiday in the UK?
Sir Richard Branson created a stir earlier this month by announcing that the Virgin Group will be piloting unlimited holiday schemes. The entrepreneur has termed the unlimited allowance a ‘non-policy’, as Virgin Group employees will have complete flexibility with how and when they take their time off as long as they do so responsibly. Branson […]
UK Pay Increase Predicted for 2016
UK workers look set to receive an average pay increase of 2.3% in 2016. This will be the largest ‘real-terms’ salary rise since 2008. This forecast follows research by Korn Ferry Hay Group. Whilst the rate of pay increase looks set to be at the same as this year (2.5%), the level of inflation is […]