April’s lower than expected inflation rate is the first dip in UK inflation since September 2012, according to today’s data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), fell to 2.4% in April from 2.8% in March, with around half of the...
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) today voted to keep interest rates at 0.5% and to hold off injecting further cash into the economy via its Quantitative Easing (QE) programme. That decision was widely predicted amid tentative signals that growth has started to pick up on its own....
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) could claw back up to £10 billion in lost revenues from UK tax evaders, according to advisors PwC. PwC says that HMRC is now getting banking information from countries previously reluctant to share data with investigators. Consequently, HMRC has already generated £1 billion in tax,...
Nearly 90% of UK companies fell victim to computer hackers, data theft or other cyber security breach in the past year, according to new research from PwC and Infosecurity Europe. The 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey, produced on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) reported a...
The UK has narrowly escaped a ‘triple-dip’ recession with the Office for National Statistics today confirming a weak return to growth in the first quarter of 2013. According to the GDP data, the economy grew by 0.3%, with much of this activity down to a resilient service sector, where output...
The UK’s budget deficit remained stuck at just over £120 billion in 2012/2103, according to the latest public sector finance data, released today. Dr Esmond Birnie, PwC’s chief economist in Northern Ireland, says that when you exclude special factors, the picture doesn’t appear that different to both the previous year's...
Today’s new generation of young employees aren’t convinced that excessive work demands are worth the sacrifices to their personal life, according to a global workplace survey from advisors, PwC. Researchers compared the attitudes of the so-called Millennial generation or Generation Y - those born between 1980 and 1995 and currently...
Northern Ireland’s claimant count unemployment increased by 100 in March, according to yesterday's employment data. In March, 64,800 people were claiming unemployment related benefits, taking the Northern Ireland claimant count rate to 7.2%, the second highest among the twelve UK regions and significantly above the UK average of 4.6%. PwC...
Second homeowners and buy-to-let landlords are the targets of a new campaign by HM Revenue & Customs, determined to stamp out tax evasion. HMRC’s self-styled, "property sales campaign" is currently tracking down UK residents who sold property - other than their main residential home - but who failed to declare...
Qualified apprentices face better employment prospects than job applicants with other qualifications, according to a new survey. ICM Research interviewed 500 employers across England and asked them to rate how employable people were, based on their qualifications. On a scale of 1-10 (where 10 was most employable) apprenticeships in general...
