Search Results for: economic

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

An analysis of the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the UK labour market uncovers a ‘distinct sliding doors moment’, with possibilities for huge job disruption in future or significant GDP gains, depending on government policy. The report from think tank the IPPR claims to identify two key stages of generative AI adoption: the first wave, which is here and now, and a second wave in which companies will integrate existing AI technologies further and more deeply into their processes. More →

Highly organised CEOs can hold back a firm’s flexibility in times of change

Highly organised CEOs can hold back a firm’s flexibility in times of change

CEOs who prioritise planning and organisation can find their skills make them a hindrance to their organisations when it comes to adapting to external changes, according to new research from Durham University Business School. The researchers say that this is because organised CEOs tend to be more rigid in their practices, thus making it more difficult for them to change their ways. The researchers also found that CEOs who are anxious and can get stressed easily also make it difficult for the organisation to adapt quickly. More →

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

Non-graduates, 'silver surfers' and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as AI creates a 'skills glass ceiling'Non-graduates, ‘silver surfers’ and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as the rise of AI creates a ‘skills glass ceiling’. That’s according to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The latest iteration of the Robert Half JCI revealed that almost half (45 percent) of the UK workforce is concerned that AI will disrupt their career in the next six to ten years. More →

Wannabe entrepreneurs likely to ignore important financial warnings

Wannabe entrepreneurs likely to ignore important financial warnings

Wannabe entrepreneurs are highly likely to ignore poor financial performances in order to pursue their dream, according to new researchWannabe entrepreneurs are highly likely to ignore poor financial performances in order to pursue their dream, according to new research by emlyon business school and ESC Clermont Business School. The researchers found that in the early stages, new entrepreneurs are so blinded by their dreams of becoming successful, they believe entrepreneurial spirit can get them out of a difficult situation. More →

UK Space Agency announces new headquarters and regional offices

UK Space Agency announces new headquarters and regional offices

The location of the UK Space Agency's new headquarters, the Quad Two building at the Harwell Science Campus’ Space Cluster in Oxfordshire.The UK Space Agency is opening new headquarters in Harwell, Oxfordshire and regional offices in Scotland, Wales and the Midlands as it works to support the space sector across the UK.  According to the government, the expansion will enable the Agency to collaborate more closely with the UK’s space sector, while promoting regional skills and job opportunities to deliver ‘increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities’. As set out in the Space Industrial Plan, the government says it is committed to continuing its support for space clusters across the UK and ‘providing the tools needed to drive collaboration between them and catalyse further investment’. More →

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

The most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activismThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a new horizon-scanning programme with a set of scans that identify the most pertinent environmental issues facing the built environment over the next ten years. Developed by leading academics, The Environmental Challenge themed horizon scans provide foresight into the most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activism. More →

Reviving flexible workspaces – a guide to saving failing operations

Reviving flexible workspaces – a guide to saving failing operations

Landlords and operators of flexible workspaces need to ensure that what they offer is meeting customer demands says Calum RussellThe landscape of flexible working has witnessed unprecedented growth, spurred by the evolving needs of businesses in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite the economic turbulence of 2023, the flexible office market has remained strong in the UK, achieving a record overall occupancy of 83 percent in the same year. As the demand for adaptable and collaborative working environments continues to rise, landlords and operators of flexible workspaces need to ensure that what they offer is meeting customer demands. Given the number of notable operator closures, many landlords are beginning to find themselves at the forefront of decisions about managing and revitalising failing operations. More →

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

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

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 →

Productivity boost from volunteering ‘adds £4.6 billion to UK economy each year’ 

Productivity boost from volunteering ‘adds £4.6 billion to UK economy each year’ 

Volunteering is delivering productivity gains worth billions to the UK economy each year, a new study claimsVolunteering is delivering productivity gains worth billions to the UK economy each year, a new study claims. The report by Pro Bono Economics (PBE), commissioned by national volunteering charity Royal Voluntary Service, estimates productivity gains worth at least £4.6 billion each year, or £4,551 per volunteer, arising from volunteering by those in professional and managerial occupations. The PBE report, titled?A pro bono bonus: The impact of volunteering on wages and productivity, stresses that these productivity gains would likely be even higher if the voluntary efforts of those in other job roles, as well as the benefits of volunteering to unemployed people, were taken into account. More →

When the chairs took over the world and what it all meant

When the chairs took over the world and what it all meant

rows of chairsOf all the things we buy, with the exception of our clothes, furniture is the most intimate, the one item we spend most time in contact with. According to JG Ballard who dedicated himself to understanding our relationship with the world around us, ‘Furniture constitutes an external constellation of our skin areas and body postures’. Whether he would have recognised it as such, Ballard was a pioneer of the principle we now refer to as psychogeography, defined by one of its founders, Guy Debord, as ‘the study of the precise effects of setting, consciously managed or not, acting directly on the mood and behaviour of the individual’. More →

Potential of AI is putting a smile on the faces of optimistic CEOs

Potential of AI is putting a smile on the faces of optimistic CEOs

CEOs are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and investing in reskilling their people to ensure they have the capabilities to successfully exploit new technologies. The CEOs of the world’s largest companies are increasingly optimistic about future growth, with 66 percent highly positive about the global outlook over the next three to five years. This is the headline finding of the second annual Arthur D. Little (ADL) CEO Insights Study, which was launched today. The study found that whatever their strategy or sector, global CEOs are increasing their growth investments. Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as crucial to growth, with 96 percent of CEOs having already deployed AI in some form, although, demonstrating the early stages of its adoption, just 13 percent have a compelling, enterprise-wide AI strategy in place. More →

Government scheme will see thousands more people train in technologies like AI

Government scheme will see thousands more people train in technologies like AI

Thousands of individuals will receive training and qualifications in cutting-edge technologies like AI as part of new government initiativesThousands of individuals across the UK will receive training and qualifications in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) as part of new government initiatives. Additionally, other transformative fields such as medicine, 6G, and quantum computing are also part of this initiative. The driving force behind the move is a substantial investment of over £1.1 billion aimed at enhancing the country’s skill base. More →