33 h. ago The business owners hiring virtual staff and contractors to combat hike in national insurance contributions

It comes as figures published today show the number of payrolled employees fell by 169,000 between June 2024 and June 2025.

Politics

45 h. ago Hundreds of pupils left 'with nowhere to study' after historic £23k

Governors said Chancellor Rachel Reeves 's 20 per cent levy, as well as increases in employer national insurance contributions were the final nails in the coffin for the 160-year-old institution.

Economics

9 d. ago Thousands of Brits blocked from getting mortgages due to HMRC 'technical glitch'

A technical failure at HMRC is stopping thousands of self-employed workers from getting mortgages, according to reports. The glitch is a result of an issue with class 2 national insurance contributions (NICs)

Politics

3 w. ago Retail profit warnings more than double as high street pressures mount – report

The report from EY-Parthenon also revealed that overall profit warnings among UK-listed firms jumped by a fifth amid trade and geopolitical woes.

Events

3 w. ago New State Pension payment delays for older people due to retire this year

The first State Pension payment might also be higher or lower than expected even with full National Insurance contributions.

Economics

3 w. ago UK payrolls down by 178,000 over last year; Bundesbank chief defends central bank independence after Trump’s attacks on Powell – business live

UK company payrolls have fallen by 178,000 in last year, pushing unemployment rate to four-year highAnalysis: The rise in unemployment shows the UK jobs market is cooling, but it is not collapsingDeutsche Bank’s chief UK economist Sanjay Raja agrees that the UK’s labour market is continuing to cool, with both payrolls and vacancies down.Raja explains:Redundancies remain elevated with the May data showing a 114k increase in the three months to May – its highest level in three months. Jobs demand remains weak as hiring plans are near a standstill.This will continue to see unemployment rise – but we think this will be a slow grind higher as opposed to a whipsaw higher. For the MPC, despite the bump higher in inflation, the loosening in labour market should give the BoE reason to proceed with a gradual dial down of restrictive policy.The fallout in the labour market from the hikes in National Insurance Contributions and the minimum wage is not as big as previously thought. Even so, as p...

Economics

last month Bank of England could make cuts to interest rates if jobs market slows down, Bailey says

Businesses are ‘adjusting employment’ as a result of Rachel Reeves’ decision to raise national insurance contributions for firms, governor says

Economics