Business news round-up: 22nd May 2012

Employment reforms divide coalition

A new report on employment laws and regulations has received strong criticism from the Business Secretary Vince Cable as being “complete nonsense”. The Beecroft report, commissioned by the prime minister, sets out recommendations to cut red-tape for employers making it easier for companies to sack under-performing staff. For more on this story, please click here.

CIPD launch new campaign to reduce youth unemployment

With almost three in ten employers not recruiting a single young person in the last year, the CIPD have launched the “Learning to Work” campaign to encourage engagement between employers and young people, and has already received backing from many companies such as Marks and Spencer, NHS employers and O2.

Click here to learn more about this campaign, the challenges of youth employment and how the CIPD intend to tackle these issues.

Positive news for Scottish job market

Both permanent and temporary placements rose significantly in April according to the latest Bank of Scotland report on jobs. The report indicates the strongest improvement noted in Scotland’s job market for nearly a year, with labour market conditions increasing from 54.6 in February to 55.8. Recruitment agencies have also confirmed a higher demand from clients for staff, however, the report suggests a decline in candidate availability. To read more on this, please click here.