A report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has revealed its permanent placements index slipped to 63.2 in April from 65.2 in March. However, any reading above 50 indicates net hiring. The survey, which questions 400 recruitment firms, showed the availability of staff grew, albeit at a slower pace than earlier in [...]
A report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has revealed February was the seventh consecutive month in which permanent places rose. According to the report, more full-time jobs were added in February than at any time since July 2007. The index, which is produced by Markit for the REC and KPMG, grew [...]
A survey conducted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has established that the labour market is on the road to recovery. The research, which questioned 400 recruitment and employment consultancies, showed permanent staff placements increased for the sixth consecutive month in January. The permanent placement index dipped to 60.5 from December’s 62.8, but remained [...]
A survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/KPMG has today revealed a rise in November retail sales of an annual rate of 1.8%. However, it was much less than the 3.8% annual growth seen the previous month as the figures were dragged down by falling food price inflation. Furthermore, the milder weather meant sales of [...]
The latest report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and financial services firm, KPMG, shows that there is still no indication that the labour market is anywhere close to returning to its former health. However, the report does show that while job losses will continue this quarter, it will be at a [...]
Research by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has revealed some encouraging news for the job market after the number of unfilled permanent and temporary jobs increased in September for the second consecutive month. However, the report highlights that the job market is still “very fragile” as despite an increase during the month, [...]
According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG Report on Jobs, there is some good news for the UK jobs market . The index for firms’ hiring of permanent workers rose from 46.1 in July to 50.6 in August – tipping over the 50 mark which indicates growth. The report shows that for the [...]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG’s retail sales monitor has revealed a rise in UK retail sales in June, primarily due to the good weather during the month. Like-for-like sales rose 1.4% last month compared with June 2008 with non-food sales over the three months to June experiencing their best performance since October last [...]
The European trading arm of New Zealand firm Canterbury Group has been placed into administration. The sports and leisurewear firm, based in Stockport, distributes items for the rugby union sector and sponsors a number of rugby union and rugby league teams in the UK and Europe, including the Scottish national RU team, London Wasps, Leinster [...]
The economic downturn has claimed yet another victim with the latest being Coffee Republic. The coffee and deli chain has entered administration and KPMG, who have been appointed administrators, said job losses are “inevitable” at loss-making outlets. Richard Hill, KPMG partner and joint administrator, said: “The recession is hitting discretionary spending on the High Street [...]
Insurance firms remain upbeat about the year ahead despite taking a battering from the credit crunch. Over half (55%) of the world’s leading insurers expect organic growth to improve over the next 12 months, whilst a similar number (53%) expect to grow through acquisitions. International expansion is the favoured option for many companies, with the [...]
Individual insolvencies are at a record high with an average of 330 people going bust everyday, with the latest insolvency data for the first three months of 2009 showing a 19 percent year-on-year rise inclusive of Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) and bankruptcies. KPMG has stated that 51 per cent of people entering into IVAs are [...]
Retailer JJB Sports has managed to escape the clutches of administration as landlords and creditors have come to an agreement which will save 10,000 jobs. Landlords of more than 400 stores have agreed to accept new payment terms and without the backing of 75 percent of the landlords, JJB would have fallen into administration. Creditors [...]
According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), like-for-like retail sales in January rose 1.1% compared with a year earlier. The BRC Retail Sales Monitor, which is also compiled by KPMG, covers the four weeks between 4 January and 31 January. The rise was attributed to heavy discounting which encouraged consumers to [...]
A survey has produced an alarming account of the UK’s job prospects with 36% of UK employers proposing to cut jobs in the first three months of this year. The latest Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and consultancy firm KPMG, questioned 892 UK employers. [...]
According to KPMG’s Forensic Fraud Barometer, fraud by company managers, employees and customers has increased threefold in the last 12 months. The accountancy firm found that £1.1 billion worth of fraud cases were heard at British courts last year – the second highest since the survey began in 1987. The highest level was in 1995 [...]
One of the world’s leading accountancy firms, KPMG, is the latest to suffer during the economic downturn after it offered its 11,000 staff sabbaticals or a shorter working week. In an email earlier today, staff were told they have the option of moving onto a 4-day week, with the fifth day unpaid. According to the [...]
A new report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and recovery specialist KPMG, plots a record decline in demand for staff. The key highlights of the Report on Jobs include a record fall in the placement of permanent and temporary staff; a record rise in candidate availability and a continued decline in average wages [...]
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), UK retail sales have fallen over a 12-month period for the first time in 3½ years. According to the BRC, like-for-like sales in October were down 2.2%, while total sales were 0.1% lower compared with October last year. The figures are further proof that the High Street is [...]
Phone fraudsters stealing bank card pins
Fraudsters using a phone scam to trick bank card holders into revealing their pin numbers stole £750,000 in the first four months of this year. This is the same amount stolen through this scam in the whole of last year. The fraudster telephones a bank customer, often someone elderly or vulnerable, telling them that their [...]
FSA rules out ban on interest-only mortgages
Speculation that the Financial Services Authority would ban interest-only mortgages as part of its Mortgage Market Review has proved to be unfounded. However, lenders will be required to monitor the performance of the investment product taken out by the customer to repay the mortgage at the end of its term. Investments are performing poorly because [...]
Bank of England may end free in-credit banking
A director of the Bank of England has warned that official intervention could be considered to end the ‘dangerous myth of free in-credit banking’. Andrew Bailey has already spoken out against free banking in relation to the mis-selling of financial products. In a speech made available to media, he reiterated his concern, saying that it [...]
Bank of England votes against more economic stimulus
The Bank of England voted against a further round of quantitative easing, at its latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Just one member, David Miles, voted for further asset purchase to encourage growth in the UK economy, while the other eight members voted to keep the Bank’s quantitative easing programme steady at £325bn. The minutes [...]
Catalogue debt growing says helpline
Calls from people concerned about their debts with mail order catalogues accounted for more than 12 per cent of all calls received by National Debtline last year, compared with just 8 per cent in 2007. More people were concerned about catalogue debt than about payday loans, mortgage or rent, according to the Money Advice Trust [...]
Homeserve faces mis-selling investigation
HomeServe, which provides emergency insurance cover and domestic repairs to households in the UK, is to be investigated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Issues over the possible mis-selling of household emergency policies were uncovered last October during an internal review at the Walsall-based company. Homeserve’s call centre staff were found to be selling ‘Complete [...]
OFT warns Wonga over debt collection methods
Payday loan company Wonga used aggressive and misleading methods to collect debts from customers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found. Wonga sent letter and emails to certain customers suggesting they had committed fraud and threatening to report them to the police if they did not act in the way Wonga suggested. The company [...]
NS&I re-launches investment account
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has re-launched its Investment Account at a higher interest rate than it previously offered. The account now offers 0.75 per cent before tax, compared with between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent previously, depending on the account balance. Deposits and withdrawals on the account can no longer be made at Post [...]
Rightmove reports property downsizing trend
Two in five property owners planning to sell in the next year are planning to ‘trade down’, compared with one in four who plan to ‘trade up’. A survey by property website Rightmove found that moving to a smaller home is the main reason for moving in nine out of the ten regions in the [...]
More people failing to save for retirement
The proportion of people with no pension savings has grown from 20 per cent to 22 per cent over the past year, according to Scottish Widows’ latest survey. The pension provider surveyed 5,200 adults in the UK, aged 30 or over, and earning at least £10,000 a year, for its annual review of pensions. Ian [...]
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