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David Sapsted

David Sapsted

Female chemist at work in laboratory.

War chest for life sciences but skills shortage stays

Industry leaders in the UK's pharmaceutical, tech and health sectors have reacted with enthusiasm – and no small amount of relief – following the government announcement of a £650 million 'war chest' to boost the nation's life sciences.

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UK expecting more visa curbs to cut migration

Faced with record net migration last year and a growing clamour from the right wing of the Conservative Party, the UK government is looking at further action to curb legal immigration.

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

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High hopes of new UK-Swiss trade deal

Business chiefs have reacted with enthusiasm to the start of talks between the UK and Switzerland over a new free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at boosting financial and professional services exports.

Spring tulips bloom in front of the imposing facade of the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street in the City of London.

Bank of England rules out any UK recession

As it raised interest rates on Thursday, the Bank of England radically overhauled its outlook for the UK economy, ruling out previous forecasts of a recession.

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Accelerating growth: are the brakes coming off global immigration policies?

Given the ever-growing skills shortage across the globe, it is small wonder that many governments are scrambling to liberalise immigration policies – while adopting programmes aimed at upskilling indigenous populations – in a bid to solve the problem.

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UK stock market overhaul to revive the City of London

A major overhaul of rules governing UK stock markets has been unveiled by the nation's UK's financial regulator in a bid to reverse London's recent decline as a global financial centre.

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Call to bolster UK-India fintech ties

Proposals to strengthen fintech collaboration between India and the UK have been laid out in a report from the trade group representing the sector in both countries.

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Fresh optimism over UK growth prospects

Growing optimism among business leaders over the prospects for the UK economy this year was illustrated by two separate reports on Monday.

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UK services notch up further growth

The UK's all-important services sector, which accounts for about 80 per cent of the nation's GDP, recorded healthy growth during March for the second month in a row, boosted by the best export performance for almost a decade and a return to business travel.

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Latest UK growth surge 'confounds forecasts'

A survey of almost 1,000 company directors has suggested unexpectedly strong growth throughout the UK economy last month.

Irish Sea Trade Deal

Businesses' Relief at Irish Sea Trade Deal

Business groups across the UK have welcomed the agreement reached between London and Brussels that will effectively abolish the Brexit 'border' in the Irish Sea that has been restricting the free flow of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland.

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Recruiters join calls for visa relaxation

The UK’s trade body for the professional recruitment sector has joined other leading business groups in pressing for a relaxation in visa rules to enable companies to recruit the talent they need from overseas.

Printed calendar for a 4 day working week showing weekend days in red in new approach to productivity

Four-day week trial hailed 'a major breakthrough'

The world's largest trial of a four-day working week, without any loss in pay, has proved such a success that almost all of the organisations and companies that took part are continuing with the shortened week.

Broughton, Wales - March 2020: Sign outside one of the factory buildings at the Airbus plant at Broughton. The factory makes the wings for Airbus planes.

India Airbus order boost ahead of Wales Week

The largest programme of events to promote Wales globally will kick off in London this weekend, just days after the Welsh economy received a major boost from a multi-billion pound aircraft order.

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Businesses demand more visas to fill job vacancies

The UK's two largest business organisations have said it was now "crucial" that the government expand visa availability after official figures showed the number of job vacancies remained at a near-record high.

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Employers to boost pay amid staff shortages

The continuing battle in the UK to attract and retain staff will see employers increase pay awards this year to their highest levels in more than a decade, according to a new survey by the CIPD.

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Whitehall shake-up to boost tech and trade

Academics, business groups and tech leaders have applauded the UK government's creation of four new civil service departments aimed at boosting growth through trade and innovation.

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Where next for women in tech?

The statistics are, at best, concerning. While women make up half of the total workforce across Europe, only 22 per cent of the people employed in the continent's tech industries are female. And 77 per cent of tech leaders are men.

India and UK, two flags waving against blue sky

CBI mission to boost UK-India trade talks

The UK's largest business organisation embarked on its first ever mission to India on Monday at a time when the leaders of both nations appeared to be giving fresh impetus to sealing a landmark, bilateral trade deal in the coming months.

Team of people using VR headsets

Chancellor sees UK becoming a 'tech superpower'

The UK is “powerfully positioned” to play a leading role in the global tech and innovation industries that will "shape and define this century”, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said on Friday.

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Talent shortage in fintech ‘a global plague’

After a year of unprecedented growth in 2021, last year turned out to be one of consolidation for the fintech industry amid a global downturn in investment, largely due to the knock-on, economic effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.