Counting the cost of commuting
Commuting journey times are on the increase. Analysis of figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) by Cloudbooking has found that the average British worker is spending over 11 weeks a year commuting to and from their workplace. The calculations are based on four weeks holiday a year and a 37.5-hour working week. "Back in 2003, the average UK commute was 45 minutes, today it is 54 minutes," said Gerry Brennan, ceo of Cloudbooking. He addded: "All good companies know success is about results not how long an employee is at their desk … I think in a century's time future generations will look at what life was like in 2015, and wonder why were we all sitting on the M25."
SMEs plan digital investment
The average UK SME has committed £33,212 to digital investment over the past year and intends to increase this by £28,224 in the next two years. And many firms are planning to spend significantly more. These are the findings of research by Santander Corporate & Commercial which shows that UK SMEs are collectively planning to increase investment in their digital capabilities by £53 billion over the next two years. Finance and IT firms are spending the most and overall and companies are prioritising their websites over mobile technologies.
High voter turnout expected among SMEs
Research commissioned by MakeItCheaper.com suggests that SMEs will lead voting turnout at the election with 93% of SME owners intending to vote and two thirds (67%) encouraging their staff to do the same. Over half (55%) will allow their staff to vote during business hours. The figures compare favorably to the 80% of SME owners who voted in the 2010 election, where the general turnout was 65%.
More firms must make the leap to exporting
British exporters are doing well and more firms should join their ranks says the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its research shows that the majority of current exporters (59%) recorded sales growth in 2014. And 34% of exporters had to expand their production capacity last year to meet international demand, compared to 3% that reduced capacity. Most of the exporters polled have been trading overseas for more than 10 years, while new exporters (0-2 years) account for only 6%. BCC director general John Longworth said: "We must redouble our efforts to grow a pipeline of new exporting companies."
Demand for IT expertise rises
New research suggests that demand for IT experts may be outstripping supply. The Experis Tech Cities Job Watch quarterly survey tracks IT opportunities in ten key UK cities: London, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sheffield. It found that hiring demand is up by 9% and there has been an 18% increase in permanent IT job adverts. IT security and cloud computing are growing faster than other areas. Average IT salaries have risen by 3% to £48,820.