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David Sapsted

David Sapsted

CBI director general Tony Danker

Business chief sets out roadmap to growth

The head of the UK’s largest business organisation fears Rishi Sunak's government is avoiding the necessary, radical measures to "transform" the nation's flagging economy because of a general election looming in the next 12 months.

Abstract image of London Financial district

UK in top three for global investment this year

Despite fears of recession, the UK has been identified as the third most popular place for investment this year in a survey of thousands of business chiefs across the world.

Former chief reporter at The Times and news editor and New York correspondent for The Telegraph among other journals, David Sapsted writes sharply observed news for Relocate.

David Sapsted

Commuters Walking in Financial District, Blurred motion

UK job vacancies still at near record

Job vacancies in the UK fell for the fifth month in a row in the quarter to the end of November but remain at historically high levels, according to the latest official estimates.

Busy container port

Green light for first three UK freeports

The government has given the go-ahead to Britain's first three freeports, with several others due to be approved in the coming months.

Marker for the City of London at London Bridge

Government unveils City rules overhaul

The government has announced a major overhaul of financial regulations to “bolster the competitiveness of the UK as a global financial centre and deliver better outcomes for consumers and businesses”.

View of Lady Justice on top of Old Bailey the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales

UK remains world-leading legal hub

The UK has retained its position as a world-leading centre for international legal services and dispute resolution, according to research published on Wednesday.

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New flexible working rights for UK staff

The UK government is to legislate to give millions of employees the legal right to request flexible working on the first day of starting a new job.

Businesswoman using iphone in London Shard

London leading the world in fintech firms

A global survey of the top ten fintech cities has revealed that London now hosts the world's largest number of fintech companies. Overall, the city comes third in the rankings behind first-placed San Francisco and New York.

The search for talent intensifies

The search for talent intensifies

Despite the global economic downturn, the skills shortage in the UK is showing no signs of abating, according to a major survey by Hays. Unprecedented 93 per cent reported difficulties finding the staff.

4 - Day working week on a black city-center sign in front of a modern office building

More UK firms shifting to four-day week

One hundred British companies have now made permanent a four-day working week for their employees with no loss of pay, according to a new report.

Women scooter Valencia

Spanish city rated best for expats

Valencia has been adjudged the best city in the world to live in for expatriate workers after almost 12,000 expats around the globe expressed their opinions in the latest InterNations survey.

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Flexibility the answer to 'quiet quitting'

The crucial importance of flexible working to UK employees in the post-pandemic era has been reinforced by a survey by global collaborative tech company, Owl Labs.

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Engineers climb 'most trusted' professions list

A long-running survey of the professions most trusted by Britons has seen faith in engineers hit an all-time high.

Sustainable green co-working office space.

Remote working alters the office landscape

The surge in remote and flexible working since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the demand for office space in London.

passport control at the Dutch border at the ferry to the United Kingdom

'More immigration needed to boost growth' - CBI

The chief of the UK's largest business organisation warned the government on Monday that the nation's growth prospects could only be maintained by an increase in immigration.

Silhouetted passengers waiting or delayed at an airport terminal in Barcelona, Spain

UK vision of immigration branded 'blurred'

The UK government's thinking on immigration is "blurred to say the least", according to an immigration specialist at internationally recognised law firm Kingsley Napley.

Computer network connection modern city future technology

Autumn Statement: UK tech sector demands growth

Neil Ross, Associate Director for Policy at the technology trade association techUK, considers what the Autumn Statement means for the tech sector, and says a relentless focus on growth is needed to spark the UK’s economic revival.

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Businesses left unmoved by Autumn Statement

UK business leaders were left largely disappointed by the fiscal and economic plans set out by the government in its Autumn Statement on Thursday.

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Illness behind rise in economically inactive

Business groups in the UK expressed concerns over companies' worker health policies after official data on Tuesday showed a record 2.5 million people were now unable to work because of long-term sickness.

New call for relaxation of immigration rules

The head of Britain's largest business organisation is calling on the government to urgently include immigration reforms when new economic policies are unveiled in Thursday's Autumn Statement.

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Employers facing scramble for staff

The bulk of UK employers fear they will not be able to hire much-needed HR and office support staff in the coming year because "skills shortages remain rife", according to a new survey.

DSapsted-Anglo-Swiss-Science-RD

Anglo-Swiss Deal to Boost Science R & D

The UK and Switzerland have signed up to a bilateral deal to boost cooperation in scientific research, after both nations were excluded from the European Union's Horizon programme. David Sapsted reports.

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Satellite offices to aid hybrid working?

The unprecedented growth in hybrid working has led to an increase in demand for 'satellite' offices away from city centres, according to a new survey.

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Business group demands 'urgent' visa reforms

One of the nation's largest business organisations has submitted a plan to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to "get firms through the tough months ahead and then power the UK’s economic recovery".

Stock market data chart display finance graph

Businesses say rate hike must not choke growth

Business leaders in the UK are pinning their hopes on incentives to boost growth in the Government's Autumn Statement later this month, after the Bank of England raised interest rates to three per cent on Thursday.

Blank UK census form

India still atop UK migration table

The number of foreign-born residents living in England and Wales last year hit an all-time high of 10 million, representing one in six of the population, according to figures on international migration taken from the 2021 UK census.

Personal perspective of male and female agricultural technicians in clean suits, hair nets, and protective face masks checking development of basil plants.

UK exporters confident over 2023 prospects

More than four out of ten UK exporters expect to see an increase in overseas trade in the coming year, according to a survey published to coincide with International Trade Week.

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Most UK firms unable to apply for visas

Despite job vacancies in the UK outnumbering jobseekers, just a tiny proportion of employers can secure visas for the overseas talent they desperately need according to a new report. International remote working and applying for a sponsor licence as insurance are among solutions proposed.

op view of female students learning computer programming. Girls in computer lab coding on laptops.

Skills shortages UK tech's biggest problem

Accessing the skilled workers they badly need has become by far the greatest problem confronting tech firms in the UK, according to the latest 'Digital Economy Monitor'.

Uk and India national flags flying alongside each other

New PM to boost UK-India FTA prospects?

The formal installation on Tuesday of Rishi Sunak as the UK’s new Prime Minister appears to have bolstered the nation’s prospects of sealing a trade deal with India.

Rishi Sunak

Business hails Sunak election as new PM

Businesses across the UK breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday as Rishi Sunak was elected unopposed as the nation's third prime minister in as many months.

macro shot of computer monitor with world stock market data in trading application

Business makes stability priority for new PM

Calls for an era of political stability and policies to boost growth were echoed by UK business leaders on Friday following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Official portrait of Suella Braverman

Resignation to boost UK-India FTA talks?

The resignation of Home Secretary Suella Braverman could boost the prospects of the UK and India sealing a trade deal, as well as making it easier for the government in London to introduce an expanded visa system.

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Survey shows 'more overseas skills needed'

One of the UK's largest business groups has renewed calls for visa relaxations after its latest recruitment survey showed three-quarters of businesses were still encountering problems finding staff.

Shot of a businesswoman editing a sheet on her computer

Bosses support monitoring home workers

A majority of business leaders in the UK are in favour of using at least one measure to monitor the performance of employees working from home, according to a new survey.

A sign on the stone wall of Her Majestys Treasury offices in Horse Guards Road, London. This government department is the ministry responsible for the economy and the nations finance: the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the most senior minister in the depa

Business wary as 'mini-budget' scrapped

Business leaders reacted with grim resignation as the UK's new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt scrapped virtually all measures proposed in the 'mini-budget' unveiled by his predecessor barely three weeks earlier.

UK map lit up to suggest activity by location

Regions increasing role in financial exports

The UK's regions and nations are making an increasingly large contribution to exports by financial and related professional services, a new report shows.

adults with arms raised in support of question

Support grows in UK for targeted immigration

The last seven years have seen growing public support for legal immigration to the UK, according to the latest survey conducted annually by polling company Ipsos.

A long weekend calendar to illustrate the concept of four-day work week introduced by the UK and European companies

Four-day week 'to become norm in UK'

A third of companies believe a four-day working week will become the norm for most UK workers within the next decade, boosting productivity and employee wellbeing, according to a new survey.

Missing employees and worker shortage or labour shortages as as employers are looking for needed workers and workforce job vacancies concept on a puzzle background in a 3D illustration style.

Labour shortages still affecting businesses

New research has shown that three-quarters of UK businesses have been adversely affected by labour shortages over the past year.

Manchester City centre light trails before sunrise

Manchester 'best UK city' for expats

Manchester is by far the best city for expats moving to the United Kingdom, according to a new survey.

London, UK - January 01, 2022: Name sign above the entrance of Google offices in London. First Google office in the UK in opened in 2003 and has since grown to accommodate thousands of employees.

Effectiveness of new visa schemes questioned

Reservations over the long-term efficacy of two of the government's new visa routes into the UK are being voiced by business executives and an expert in immigration law.

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U-turn on tax break for rich cheers business

The head of the UK's largest business organisation has welcomed the Government's decision to scrap a controversial plan to abolish the highest rate of income tax for the nation's biggest earners.

Attracting overseas skills

Government Eyes Easing UK Visa Rules

Will liberalising immigration rules attract the overseas skills that the UK needs?

4 day week

Four-day week trial deemed a success

It's a thumbs-up for a 4 day week...

Chancellor Unveils Plan for 'Global Britain'

Can the 'mini-budget' "expand the supply side of the economy through tax incentives and reform"?

Energy Cap Time Limit Worrying Business

Business leaders in the UK give guarded welcome to government support package that will cap gas and electricity prices for all companies for six months from the start of October.

Certification for quality control, which ensures that the company product meets its standards On the virtual screen

Firms ignorant over 'right to work' changes

Research has uncovered widespread unawareness among UK employers over changes over the Right to Work verification rules for employees that come into effect at the end of this month.

Motion blurred abstract people walking to the airport terminal

Report exposes business travel stress

The extent that international business travel affects the wellbeing of those undertaking such journeys has been highlighted in survey of UK travellers.

Close up of help wanted sign during a job interview in the office with people in the background.

Still more UK jobs than there are jobless

The number of job vacancies in the UK declined marginally in August for the second month in a row, although the total of openings still exceeded the number of people registered as unemployed.

close up shot of a digital stock market tracking graph follwing a recent crash in prices

UK financial services spread beyond London

The UK's financial services sector has created a quarter of a million jobs in a decade - more than half of them outside London - according to a new report.

Hands holding tablet on blurred automation machine as background

'Devil in the detail' of business energy cap

Businesses have broadly welcomed the UK Government's promise of a scheme to lessen the financial pain of soaring energy prices, but complain that they are still in the dark about details of the rescue plan.

Close Up Of Woman Holding Smart Energy Meter In Kitchen Measuring Energy Efficiency

UK energy crisis package 'to limit recession'

The UK Government's package to reduce the effects of surging energy prices on businesses and households could limit the damage of any recession, according to economists.

xterior of UK government building office department for international trade

Truss urged to press ahead with trade deals

The UK's leading trade body for exporters has stressed the importance of “harnessing the opportunities provided through international trade” to new Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

Birmingham 'set to host new audit watchdog'

The UK government is to move hundreds more civil service jobs from London after choosing Birmingham as home for the nation's new audit regulator, according to a report in the Financial Times.

Number 10 Downing Street - the official office and residence of the British Prime Minister in London, UK

Businesses set out demands for new PM

Business leaders welcomed the election victory of Liz Truss as the UK's next Prime Minister, but warned that swift action was needed to tackle growing economic turmoil.

A sustainable green office or housing complex as seen from a living roof

UK housing market remains surprisingly buoyant

Worsening economic conditions across the globe have done little to temper the UK housing market, with prices recording a ten per cent, year-on-year rise during August.

Modern glass building high above Brussels city skyline at night with illuminated offices

Acute skills shortage 'felt across Europe'

A survey of thousands of companies across the UK and EU has highlighted the skills shortages being experienced across the continent.

4-day work week symbol

Bank declares four-day week a win-win

An app-based bank in the UK has declared its trial of a four-day working week to be a "huge success" both for its employees and for its business.