Search Results for: recession

November 29, 2023

Threat of recession means half of firms say they have stopped innovating

Half of UK C-suites (50 percent) say that the threat of recession has meant innovation has ceased in their business, according to brand new research from consultancy Magnetic. Just 22 percent disagree, with 28 percent undecided. This corroborates the 56 percent who say they’re prioritising the survival of their business above all else; an especially concerning figure when two-thirds of the sample are large businesses with more than 250 employees. More →

September 14, 2020

Redundancies set to double the peak reached in the 2008 recession

by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives

New analysis of official data released to the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) claims that between May and July 2020, employers notified government of nearly 380,000 potential redundancies. This is more than double the peak reached in the Great Recession, when 180,000 staff were notified as being at risk between January and March 2009. More →

July 7, 2017

Job mobility and labour markets in Europe continue to be shaped by last recession ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

A new report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) claims that the recent global recession continues to have significant and lasting effects on Europe’s labour markets, including a big drop in employment levels and job mobility, which are yet to recover in many countries almost a decade later. It also affected the structure of employment, accelerating changes and patterns of job polarisation across Europe, in which employment in middle-paid jobs declined more than in jobs at the top and bottom of organisations.

July 25, 2016

Office of the future? + Vaping room call + UK will avoid Brexit recession ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property, Technology, Workplace

In this week’s Newsletter; Mark Eltringham on the narrow focus in descriptions of the ‘office of the future’; Maciej Markowski argues the need to keep an open mind on the open plan office; and Neil Franklin finds the ethics of everyday working life are the subject of two new surveys. News of a new device that can store more data than ever; many employees believe their workplace is not making best use of latest technology; and a new research report focuses on smart cities and the future of the built environment. Public Health England advises employers to set up vaping rooms for e-cigarette users; Brexit won’t lead to crash in commercial property say experts; and young workers are ill prepared for office politics. Download our new Briefing, produced in partnership with Boss Design on the link between culture and workplace strategy and design; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

July 19, 2016

UK should avoid severe recession and property crash after Brexit vote ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Knowledge, News, Property

UK growth had already eased from around 3 percent in 2014 to around 2 percent before the EU referendum due primarily to slower global growth, but the Brexit vote to leave the EU is likely to lead to a significant further slowdown. UK GDP growth is forecast to decelerate to around 1.6 percent in 2016 and 0.6 percent in 2017 according to PwC’s main scenario in its latest UK Economic Outlook report. Quarter-on-quarter GDP growth could fall to close to zero in late 2016 and early 2017 in this main scenario, but is then projected to recover gradually later in 2017 as the immediate post-referendum shock starts to fade. The UK would avoid recession in this scenario, although the report notes that uncertainties around this view are significant, with alternative scenarios showing GDP growth in 2017 of anywhere between +1.5 percent and -1 percent. But even this latter relatively pessimistic scenario would not be a severe recession of the kind seen in the early 1980s or in 2008-9.

February 1, 2016

M25 office market returns to pre-recessionary levels as demand increases ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

The ‘M25’ office market returned to pre-recessionary levels in 2015 as take-up reached 4.25 million sq ft, which is the highest recorded figure since 2007. Given the higher levels of demand in the regional commercial property market, take-up is predicted to reach 4.5 million sq ft for 2016. The research by Savills claims that the ‘Western Sector’ was the strongest performer in the market within the M25 during 2015, where 1.91 million sq ft was transacted, which accounted for 44 percent of total take-up. Improving economic conditions combined with a reduction in grade B and C office space, due to permitted development rights, meant that 62 percent of space transacted was for grade A space. Total supply currently stands at 18.34 million sq ft, which is a 7 percent decrease from 2014, not helped by the fact that approximately one million sq ft of office space has been converted to residential uses since 2014.

November 19, 2013

RIBA says rise in architects’ workloads signals recession is coming to an end

by Sara Bean • Architecture, News, Property

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) says all the signs are that the recession is coming to an end, after recording the highest workload forecast figure for architects since its Future Trends Survey begin in January 2009. The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index sustained a significant increase this month, rising to +35 in October 2013 from +26 in September 2013. Welcome news also comes from the latest quarterly returns for the levels of actual work in progress which are now showing an annual increase for the first time since the financial crisis. RIBA practices reported an 11 per cent aggregate increase in workload between October 2012 and October 2013 and are increasingly optimistic about their medium term future work flows. More →

June 17, 2013

The three Rs of the RIBA Awards winners – risk, reticence, recession

by Simon Heath • News

Risk, reticence and recession are the 3 Rs that leap out from the education dominated RIBA awards winners. The premise being that only a really bold architect would design something daring at a time of economic constraint. However, given what vanity has been displayed in recent years one would have supposed that boldness would not have been in short supply. It is the reality that falls some way short. A largely egg- and shoe-box inspired collection with windows best described as minimalist, the common theme is seemingly one of modesty. Even the big public projects seem derivative and cautious. Images of the visitor centre for the Giants Causeway (above) in Ireland suggest an attractive scheme but bring to mind Stonehenge, another early attempt at brutalist monolithic human construction with a spiritual dimension. Unless I’m missing something.

June 11, 2013

Construction sector is digging its way out of recession

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

The UK’s Employment Outlook is looking firmly positive, according to ManpowerGroup, and it’s being driven by an upturn in construction and a buoyant London economy. “As we head into the summer months, the UK jobs market is not too hot, but not too cold either. It’s all about the Three ‘C’s: Construction, the Capital, and Consistency,” said ManpowerGroup UK Managing Director, Mark Cahill. The first ‘C’ is for Construction, the most improved sector this quarter, up by five points, which is positive news as construction has been a huge drag on the whole UK economy, and is one of the main reasons we’ve had a double dip recession. Now ManpowerGroup reports it is starting to see rising demand for skills across the board, particularly in skilled trades and engineers. More →

March 17, 2024

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

In the face of climate change, social justice movements, and recession, employees are seeking alternative commitments from employers. A new poll from Sparta Global claims that for job seekers in 2024, a company’s contributions to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, and community well-being are of growing importance. More →

March 7, 2024

There never was a new normal

by Nick Gold • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Four years ago this month, we were all given our first ‘work from home’ mandate. A clear, unambiguous instruction from the UK government that, in the grip of a quickly spreading global pandemic, we should all work from home where possible. And amid the biggest seismic shift of our lifetime, it was an easy instruction to follow. Hunker down and wait patiently until we find a ‘new normal.’ But four years on, the question remains – are we nearly there yet? Are we ever going to find a ’new normal’? More →

January 22, 2024

Regional divides, falling incomes, booming jobs markets; and lower productivity. The current state of the UK

by Neil Franklin • Business, Cities, News

No part of the UK has escaped the impact of the flatlining of the UK economy since 2010, according to new analysis published by the Centre for Cities in its Cities Outlook 2024 report. At the national level, people have been left with £10,200 less to spend or save on average since 2010 than if the economy had grown at pre-2010 trends. The report also suggests that a marked rise in employment has happened in parallel with overall falling productivity. More →