companies house made easy

self-assessment deadline extended

Sole traders, entrepreneurs and other individuals who are required to fill out self-assessment tax returns will not receive a late filing penalty if they make their submission on the 1st or 2nd of February.

schools must develop entrepreneurs

The Forum for Private Business has called for schools to play a leading role in encouraging entrepreneurship amongst young people.

google targets welsh SMEs

Search engine giant Google has announced a 12 month campaign to get businesses in Wales to start using the web.

view all news

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show a further rise in the rate of unemployment to 7.2%, the highest level since July 1997.

The number of unemployed people rose by 232,000 people between February and April, hitting a total of 2.261 million, with the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance reaching 1.554 million, an increase of 39,300.

"These jobless figures are slightly better than feared, but the overall situation remains grim," stated David Kern, Chief Economic Advisor for the British Chambers of Commerce.

Unemployment figures for people aged between 18 and 24 have increased to 16.6%, the highest rate since 1993 for this age group. It is expected for the rate to rise further over the summer, as graduates and school leavers look to enter the workforce.

This is in sharp contrast to the rate of employment for people of retirement age, which has actually risen by 2.6% from the same period in 2008.