Business

Rumoured increases to employer pension contributions in next month’s Budget are sparking panic among UK businesses, with nearly one in five firms warning they could face insolvency if contribution rates rise. A survey of 500 businesses by consultancy Barnett Waddingham found that 19% of employers believe a mandatory hike in workplace pension contributions could push them over the edge financially. …

Employees returning to work after cancer treatment must be actively involved in how their reintegration is managed, according to new research that warns current HR support structures are too rigid and often fail to reflect the lived reality of survivors. A study from NEOMA Business School, conducted in collaboration with IAE Lyon, found that traditional mechanisms such as recognised disability …

Government borrowing rose sharply to more than £20bn in September – the highest level in five years – piling further pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares a tax-raising Budget next month. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), monthly borrowing increased by £1.6bn from August, contributing to a six-month total of £99.8bn, the second-highest level ever recorded …

High-earning professionals earning just over £100,000 — often dubbed “Henrys” (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) — could be among the hardest hit in next month’s Budget, with analysts warning their effective tax rate could rise beyond the already punitive 60% threshold. Typically consisting of mid-career professionals and dual-income households with limited accumulated wealth or assets, Henrys are often caught in …

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company backed by Google’s parent firm Alphabet, has confirmed plans to roll out its self-driving ride-hailing service in London in 2026, marking a major step forward in the UK’s adoption of autonomous transport. Already operating fully driverless services in US cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Waymo will work with fleet partner Moove to …

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to unveil a major “blitz on business bureaucracy” that the Treasury claims will save companies up to £6bn a year, as Labour seeks to reassure businesses ahead of a potentially tax-raising Budget next month. Addressing more than 350 executives, regional mayors and global investors at the government’s first regional investment summit in Birmingham, Reeves will …

Labour is facing calls to rethink its manifesto pledge to abolish lower minimum wage rates for young workers amid warnings that nearly one million 16- to 24-year-olds are now out of education, employment or training. A new report from the Resolution Foundation shows that the number of so-called “Neets” has surged by 195,000 in the past two years, reaching 940,000 …

A Welsh steel engineering company has secured a £1.1 million international contract to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, providing a significant boost to the UK’s export manufacturing sector. Pontypool-based Pro Steel Engineering has been awarded the deal by construction giant ONUR Group to manufacture 200 tonnes of steel girders for a bridge near Kyiv that was destroyed during the war with …

The top 1% of UK taxpayers contributed a third of all income tax and capital gains tax (CGT) collected in the last financial year, according to new HMRC data that highlights the growing reliance on a small pool of high earners to support the public finances. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by investment service Wealth Club found that the …

Digital certificates play a major role in enterprise security as they protect everything from websites and applications to IoT devices and cloud workloads. But large organizations are now juggling with thousands of certificates across hybrid and multi-cloud environments and managing them has never been more challenging. To make it even harder, certificate lifespans are reduced to 398 days and are …