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David Sapsted

David Sapsted

overseas worker in meeting

Call to scrap short-term ICT visa rules

The UK's leading trade body for the financial services industry is calling on the government to scrap visas for overseas staff needed for short-term, intra-company transfer (ICT) projects

flexible working at home

Flexible working ‘a must’ across Europe

More than a third of workers across Europe would turn down a new job if flexible hours were not on offer, according to a new survey.

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

Luxury homes in London

UK homes top agenda of Hong Kong buyers

Estate agents and home builders in the UK are gearing up for a fresh surge in purchases from Hong Kong citizens.

uk and india trade

UK-India groups join forces over trade

The two largest business organisations in India and the UK are to set up a new group to campaign for increased cross-industry collaboration and to "push the UK-India trade deal over the line".

state opening 2022

UK businesses welcome legislative moves

Businesses have welcomed government ambitions outlined on Tuesday to take greater steps to 'level up' the UK economy, to boost financial services and to reform and reduce taxation.

graduates celebrating

New graduate visas ’to fill skills gap’

A simplified but “highly selective” visa scheme to attract overseas graduates to the UK, could help fill the nation's skills gap, according to a leading immigration lawyer.

skills shortage

UK business ‘needs Ukrainian refugee skills’

Ukrainian immigrants offer the best solution to help solve the skills shortage in the UK

money inflation

UK joins U.S and India in rates hike

The UK has joined the current rush by central banks the world over to increase interest rates in the face of soaring inflation.

couple working from home

Flexible working spurring ‘The Big Quit’

Almost half of UK office workers are prepared to look for new jobs if their current employers do not provide opportunities for flexible working, according to new research.

overseas talent

Finance firms ‘need more overseas skills’

The City of London's policy chief has called on the government to introduce an immigration system that will enable the UK's financial services sector to attract the overseas talent it needs.

houses in a line

Finally, signs of a slowdown in home prices

Annual house price growth in the UK remained in double digits in April but, after a year of rocketing prices, there were signs the market might be beginning to cool.

visa stamp

‘New visas needed’ to tackle UK shortages

A leading British business organisation is calling on the government to introduce a system of temporary visas in a bid to overcome the nation's skills shortages.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan

India Trans-Pacific top UK trade agenda

The UK government has put deals with India and the 11-nation CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) at the top of its trade agenda this year, a global conference of financial services chiefs has been told.

london skyline

Fintech helps London top global FDI chart

London's financial and professional services attracted more foreign direct investment (FDI) last year than any other city in the world, according to a new report.

People and electronics, Nanjing Road, Shanghai

Now Shanghai faces an expat exodus

Strict pandemic lockdowns in Shanghai are accelerating the exodus of expats from China's premier global business hub, according to media reports.

us and uk trade

US-UK launch fresh round of trade talks

The governments in Washington and London were urged on Monday to be "laser focused" on improving conditions for businesses as the latest talks on the future of transatlantic trade got underway in Aberdeen.

boris speaking at conference in india

UK bids for FTA with India by October

Detailed discussions between India and the UK on a bilateral free trade agreement could be successfully concluded in six months' time, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

21/04/2022. Gujarat, India. Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Gandhi Ashram on the first day of his official visit to India. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

UK to offer Indians simpler visa system?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that a more liberal visa regime could be in the offing for Indians wanting to come to the UK to work or study.

uk immigration

UK sees Brexit surge in Non-EU visas

Last year saw a surge in non-EU migrants coming to the UK to take up skilled jobs, according to latest data from the Home Office.

London office building for network and future concept

UK tech joins the trillion dollar club

UK government is to launch a digital growth competition - with a first prize of more than £12 million.

calculator and shopping basket with couple in background

Energy prices spark record global inflation

Further evidence of the global scourge of soaring inflation was illustrated on Wednesday when official figures showed the UK's Consumer Price Index had hit a 30-year high in the 12 months to March

Office workers talking and looking happy

Fewer unemployed as vacancies hit record

The UK unemployment rate fell last month to its lowest level since 1974 while job vacancies hit a new record high, official figures showed on Tuesday.

Workgroup celebrating

London top city for job satisfaction

London has been rated as the best city in the UK for job satisfaction, with Brighton, Bristol, Oxford and Manchester snapping at its heels.

HR Managers talking in corridoor

HR experiencing the upside of the pandemic

It is, as the expression goes, an ill wind that blows no good. And many HR professionals would tend to agree, according to a new survey.

couple looking at house picture

Surging UK house market set to calm?

House prices in the UK over the past year have increased at their fastest rate since 2004, according to the latest index from Nationwide, one of the country's largest mortgage lenders.

Hong Kong Immigration

More Hong Kong expats head for the exit

Almost half of European companies with hubs in Hong Kong are planning to relocate to other centres overseas this year, according to a new survey.

UK and EU Brexit

Brexit moved to EU much lower than expected

Far fewer jobs in financial services based in the UK have relocated to the European Union than originally anticipated in the wake of the Brexit referendum almost six years ago, according to the latest survey.

Trade Groups

Trade groups applaud UK-Canada FTA talks

Business groups on both sides of the Atlantic have welcomed the launch of negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive free trade agreement between the UK and Canada.

USA and UK Flags

NY and London stay atop financial rankings

Despite fears that London could lose its standing as a leading financial hub because of Brexit-related relocations to the EU, the City has retained its second place in the latest Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI).

SME Business

Business welcomes skills and SME initiatives

Government initiatives to boost skills and the prospects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced in the Spring Statement to parliament, won favour among UK business leaders on Thursday.

Downing Street

Budget chiefs unhappy over ‘mini-budget’

Leading business leaders in the UK gave a mixed reaction to measures aimed at boosting economic growth and productivity outlined to parliament on Wednesday by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

Recruitment

Recruiting skills is biggest challenge, says BoE

The extent of the "skills crisis" confronting most sectors of the UK economy has been illustrated by a new survey showing the number of professionals applying for job vacancies dropped by 40% between January-February this year alone.

Climate Change Image

Climate change tops global investors’ agenda

Climate change is becoming of fast-growing importance to business decisions being made by many of the world's largest institutional investors, according to a new survey.

Oxford Skyline

Oxford ‘Top UK city to live and work’

Cities in the southern half of England once again dominate this year's rankings of the best places to live and work in the UK.

Interest Rate Increase

UK follows fed in hiking interest rates

The UK's base interest rate was increased by the Bank of England to 0.75 per cent on Thursday in the latest bid to curb fast-growing inflation.

Remote Working

Global talent is ‘answer to skills shortage’

Sectors of the economy from financial services to the tech industry might be bemoaning the lack of skilled applicants to fill ever-increasing job vacancies but the talent shortage is "a myth", according to a leading global mobility specialist.

Send CV concept photo

UK job vacancies hit new record high

Job vacancies in the UK have hit yet another record high as the unemployment rate fell to below pre-pandemic levels for the first time, official figures showed on Tuesday.

Topia 2022 Adapt study

Flexible working "key to global workforce"

Adapt or lose skilled staff, says new report, as 64% of workers in the study say they would look for a new job if required to work in the office full-time.

Interview Handshake

‘No end in sight’ to finance staff shortages

The staff shortages in the UK's financial services sector - which have been exacerbated by problems in recruiting and retaining overseas talent - are likely to persist throughout 2022, according to new research.

Workers in office talk to coworkers on Zoom

Poll finds Scots hungriest for hybrid working

The widespread adoption of hybrid working in the UK since the arrival of Covid-19 has boosted production, and increased satisfaction levels among both employees and customers, according to a new survey.

Ukrainian and UK flags

Ukraine conflict weighs on UK growth

A mixed outlook for future economic growth in the UK - along with that in many other nations - has been thrown into question because of the conflict in Ukraine.

An interior scene at a busy airport

Hong Kong visa applicants top 100,000

More than 100,000 Hong Kong residents applied to live, work and study in the UK last year under the British National (Overseas) visa route.

An arrow in a target

Canada sets record immigration targets

Canada has set new, record-breaking targets in a bid to attract more than a million immigrants between now and the end of 2024.

Cropped shot of a businesswoman giving a presentation to her colleagues in a modern office

Government urged to drop the "Chairman"

UK business leaders recommend what they call a simple and "long overdue change" which would "send a clear message on government intent".

Woman shaking a hand to symbolise a deal sealed

UK-NZ finalise 'excellent' trade deal

Business groups have welcomed the finalising of a UK-New Zealand free trade deal on goods and services, which has been signed in London by the two nations' trade ministers.

Singapore skyline reflected in strait

UK-Singapore clinch digital trade deal

A 'ground-breaking' digital trade deal between Britain and Singapore was signed by the UK's International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan on the final leg of a three-nation trip to Asia.

Lawyers doubt wisdom of scrapping 'golden visa'

Immigration lawyers are expressing unease over the wisdom of the UK government's abrupt decision to abandon the ‘golden visa’ route aimed at attracting multi-millionaire investors to the country.

Map of the world

HR facing up to pandemic mobility challenges

Many international companies' HR professionals have fundamentally reviewed their global relocation policies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new survey.

Diverse group of students climb stairs in modern university

China, India lead race to UK universities

Record numbers of students from both China and India have applied to enrol at UK universities this year, according to data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Sun sets on a bombardier private jet

UK signals end to 'golden visa' scheme

The UK government is to announce the scrapping next week of the current Tier 1 visa scheme - the so-called 'golden visa' for wealthy investors - according to press reports on Thursday.

Woman in hybrid work place sharing her time between an office and working from home remotely

Welfare risks of hybrid work "being ignored"

Almost half of UK companies questioned in a new survey have still not devised policies aimed at ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff now working partly from home.

female Asian CEO and her team analyzing data in business reports during the meeting in the office.

Yet another surge in UK job vacancies

Further evidence of the continuing skills shortage confronting virtually every sector of the British economy has been provided by the latest official figures and by two surveys from leading trade bodies.

Graphic of UK flag with graphs

UK growth at 81-year high in 2021

The UK economy bounced back in 2021 from the worst effects of the pandemic with better-than-expected GDP of 7.5 per cent growth, the highest annual figure since the start of World War Two.

Software developer freelancer woman female in glasses work with program code C++ Java Javascript on wide displays at night Develops new web desktop mobile application or framework Projector background

Campaign aims to lure researchers to the UK

The UK government has launched a new international talent website aimed at attracting thousands of research and innovation experts to the country.

engineer gets out of van on leafy street

'Net zero' tops British SME agenda for 2022

An unprecedented number of British companies are now putting environmental sustainability at the top of their business agendas, according to a new survey.

Close up of couple working our household finances

Slowdown expected in UK house price rises

The average house price in the UK hit a new record last month although there were signs the rate of increase would slow "considerably" this year.

Graphic showing rising rates chart

Business chiefs uneasy over latest rate rise

Business leaders have been left concerned over the Bank of England's decision to raise interest rates for the second time in three months.

map of UK regions

"Levelling up" plan aims to boost UK regions

The government has laid out its blueprint for its 'levelling up' agenda aimed at closing the economic gap by 2030 between the affluent South East and other regions and nations across the UK.

Digital map of the UK

CBI urges overhaul of skills visa system

The UK's largest business organisation is calling on the government to create an independent body with powers to decide what overseas skills should be on the nation's Shortage Occupation List.