UK companies are increasingly hiring temporary workers over permanent staff due to economic uncertainty, higher costs, and political turbulence, leading to a 10-month low in permanent recruitment and modest salary growth.
Hong Kong will halve tolls for all commercial vehicles using public tunnels for two months from Sunday, in the government’s latest effort to ease business costs amid surging fuel prices driven by the war in the Middle East. Buses, goods vehicles, light buses and taxis registered with the Transport Department will benefit from the measure, while private cars and motorcycles are excluded, according to a government announcement on Wednesday. The temporary 50 per cent discount will apply at all...
Most Fortune 500 companies are tracking workplace AI usage at the group, role or individual level as token costs become a standard line item in business costs.
Renault's UK managing director Adam Wood has reported a 'seismic shift upwards' in electric vehicle interest following oil price spikes caused by the Iran war. EV enquiries on Renault's website are up 42%, with electric vehicles now accounting for almost 50% of the company's UK sales in April. The Renault 5 was Britain's bestselling electric car that month. Oil prices remain above $111 per barrel amid ongoing tensions over the strait of Hormuz.
Sainsbury's has warned that profits could fall this year as the Middle East conflict squeezes customer budgets and pushes up business costs. The supermarket group reported a 1.1% increase in annual profits to £1.03bn for the year to 28 February, but uncertainty over the war means profits could be marginally higher or lower than last year. The company predicted underlying profit of £975m to £1.03bn and gained its highest market share in a decade.
