General

The wave of job cuts many expected at the end of the furlough scheme has not happened, early data suggests. The number of redundancies proposed by employers in September was close to record lows. Many businesses with large numbers of furloughed workers say they have taken everyone back and unions had not heard of major […]

The furlough scheme closed on Thursday, with uncertainty ahead for people who have not yet returned to work. Nearly one million workers were expected to be on the scheme at the end of September, according to estimates by the Office for National Statistics. It is unclear how many of those still were relying on it

The economic rebound triggered by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions during spring was stronger than initial estimates, official figures show. From April to June the UK\’s economy grew by 5.5%, which was higher than the previous estimate of 4.8%, the Office for National Statistics said. Spending on retail and hospitality surged after lockdowns lifted. However,

Most people do not believe workers will return to the office full-time after the COVID-19 pandemic, an exclusive survey for the BBC suggests. A total of 70% of 1,684 people polled predicted that workers would \”never return to offices at the same rate\”. The majority of workers said that they would prefer to work from

The number of people on furlough has continued to fall, with young people leading the way, latest figures show. At the end of July, 1.6 million people were still on furlough, the lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and 340,000 fewer than a month earlier. But older people and the travel sector

The UK economy grew by just 0.1% in July as the last COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in England. It was the economy\’s sixth consecutive month of growth, but the increase was much lower than in the previous month, which saw 1% growth. Arts, entertainment and recreation activities helped the rise, but the \”pingdemic\” kept many

British business confidence hit highs not seen since April 2017 on hopes the economy is recovering strongly to pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey. Employers in England\’s North West and East registered the biggest jump in confidence, the latest Lloyds Bank Business Barometer found. There was caution among companies about inflation and staff shortages. However,

The UK government’s audit reform proposals aim to restore trust and corporate governance, but questions remain on how the proposed changes will be implemented and the full extent of their impact on accountants and businesses alike. The UK government’s recent consultation on the audit reform proposals is much more than simply audit reform. It aims

Skills shortages and shifts in employee demands brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic will combine to create an all-time high of talent strategy changes in the accounting and professional services industries. Research suggests the pandemic has led to significant skills shortages across the accounting industry. In fact, a recent report published by the Professional &

The chief executive of the world’s leading accountancy body says that changing culture is crucial in correcting the under-representation of women on boards and is calling for lasting change to correct anti-female bias at the top of business. Helen Brand, from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is calling on businesses to appoint more