In one of the first recorded cases in the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR) we now have an initial view of the Employment Tribunal’s approach to ‘flipping’ agency workers onto a Regulation 10 compliant contract. To recap: Regulation 10 AWR Under the AWR, agency workers are entitled to equal...

The government has confirmed that its use of the Managed Service Companies (MSC) legislation to recover tax and National Insurance has escalated significantly in the past year. Lawspeed submitted two Freedom of Information requests to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and discovered that the number of enquiries alive at...

Recent research by total jobs has revealed that the vast majority of public sector workers (90{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}) would recommend a career in public service to graduates and school leavers, indicating that the future of public sector recruitment looks positive despite budget cuts. The survey of 2,500 public sector workers cited...

Small and medium sized employers looking to offer Apprenticeships in England have been given a boost as the National Apprenticeship Service announces moves to help even more employers recruit an apprentice. New funding and service levels announced Employers lend their voices to new nationwide radio advertising campaign to promote...

The unemployment rate across the eurozone hit a new all-time high of 11.8{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} in November, official figures have shown.  This is a slight rise on 11.7{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} for the 17-nation region in October. The rate for the European Union as a whole in November was unchanged at 10.7{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}.   Spain, which...

Recent comments from the Head of Policy at the Forum of Private Business, Alex Jackman, said: “In terms of business, the Government has made progress in some areas, but it’s got a lot more to do. “David Cameron said on every issue that Britain’s wealth creators have demanded action,...

Activity in the UK’s services sector fell for the first time in two years in December, a survey has suggested, raising fears of yet another recession.   The PMI services index from Markit/CIPS fell to 48.9 in December, down from 50.2 in November. Any score below 50 indicates the sector...

Controversial news was announced by the government this month reducing the 90 day large scale redundancy consultation period down to 45 days. A range of mixed reactions from the recruitment community highlights uncertainty over whether this move will be successful when it comes into effect from April 2013 across...

The REC has received an official response from the Treasury on key taxation challenges facing the recruitment industry. In his letter to REC Chief Executive Kevin Green, Treasury Minister David Gauke provides a useful update on issues such as taxation rules for contractors (IR35) and on the effective enforcement...

The FIDS (Fraud, Investigations and Disputes Services) team at Ernst & Young has today released new research revealing that only half of British firms have heard of the UK Bribery Act (56{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}), despite the fact that the legislation was enacted more than a year ago. The research also revealed...

The cold winter months are causing office workers to spend more than half an hour longer behind their desks each day – according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by officebroker, found that the average office worker spent an additional 38 minutes at work each day during the...

A recent survey of small firms has found confidence remains low, but this year promises to be a better one than the previous two years.  The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said 2012 had been tough, but 2013 looked to be brighter.   But the FSB warned that business...

While 2012 has been tough, conditions in 2013 should get better, but only marginally so. That’s the view of the Forum’s economics expert, Professor Philip Whyman, who has warned of another tough year ahead for business with growth coming in at under 1{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} for the year – significantly less...

As 2012 comes to an end there is no sign of a sustained increase in the level of pay awards. Instead, 2{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} has emerged as the benchmark pay award over the autumn months, according to data released today from pay specialists XpertHR. The median basic pay increase (which excludes...

It’s that time of year again; the festive season is in full swing.  Many employers will be throwing a Christmas party for their employees in order to reward them for their hard work during 2012.  But how do you ensure fun and merriment all round? At the risk of...