One of the most important factors to consider is the products and services your business is offering, is there a space in the current market? Another issue is based around marketing, you need to make sure the right people are hearing about your business. The positive side to starting a business in a recession is success can be multiplied once the financial downturn clears.

Always ensure your merchandise is of value to your customer base, this is of paramount importance during a recession. There are certain items the general public and businesses will always require food, paper and household goods to name a few. These items never outdate and can always be sold at the right price.

The negative side of starting a business in a recession will be people’s reluctance to spend money; therefore a solid business plan is required. Entrepreneurs need to adopt a cautious approach, even after spending vast amounts money a business may never get off the ground.

To build a successful business you need to adopt a proactive approach, you will always need a degree of patience and a viable business plan. Always be proud of your business making sure you have given yourself the best opportunity to succeed. If you believe in your business others will also.

Lee-Anne Lewis

The European Commission has made a requirement that Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds are to lose hundreds of branches in return for billions of pounds worth of state aid, this will result in the overhaul of the British financial sector over the next few years. The Royal Bank of Scotland is expecting to sell 318 branches and Lloyds over 600 branches. Gordon Brown has made an announcement that “British tax payers will not make any long term loss on their money” and he gave reassurances if anything this course of action should start to improve the economy. Alistair Darling made this statement today in Parliament “This will significantly reduce the cost and the exposure to the taxpayer.

The value of our Pound is in the hands of the government, by investigating into reports and the latest announcements, we are still unsure and unable to determine when the recession will be over and with it strength returning to the pound. The only advice is to keep your money safe, do not overspend and invest extremely wisely.

Lee Anne Lewis

1. Agency work being seen as a key driver of job creation which promotes work mobility, including geographical, occupational and social mobility.
2. Workers employability is enhanced through upgrading of skills and allowing access to professional experience and vocational training.
3. Young people and previously unemployed people have a broadened access to the labour market through an introduction to Agency work.

 In order to meet the specific needs of the nation, employment and labour policies need to be implemented at national and local levels, through maintaining employment, creating new jobs, and promoting mobility.

The flexible layer that Agency work provides to the labour market helps preserve permanent jobs in times of economic crisis. It enhances competitiveness and the need for private companies to be more adaptable. As we all know, we are currently living through one of the worst economic cycles we have known, and still Agency work continues to create more jobs, that would not otherwise exist.

EU labour markets have witnessed an overall decrease in the number of Agency workers, but from those that are employed, 80% of the jobs would not have been created at all if Agency work had not been available as a flexible workforce solution. It (Agency work) is a dynamic player in the labour market, which continues to place thousands of workers into new work opportunities. Today we see that there are 9 million Agency workers, which converts to 3 million full time equivalent positions. With more than 33,000 private employment agencies and 58,000 branches across Europe, Agency work companies are well placed to drive and support workers in this sector.

A worker’s employability is enhanced through Agency work, allowing them to better resist any economic crisis. Workers can gain professional experience in various working environments, develop their skills, and strengthen their ability to adapt and work as part of a team. At the same time there is a commitment by the Agency work industry, to facilitate access to vocational training. Over the past year the industry has established sector-level training funds in an ever increasing number of countries. A total amount of more than £500 million has been invested in training, in only 6 European countries. These funds have successfully trained more than 643,000 Agency workers through the implementation of relevant training programs. This year another fund is to be established in Luxembourg.

Skills development and enhancement requires action, both in short term and long term perspective, in order to unlock the positive contribution of the private employment agency industry.

The latest device within recruitment is the so called “Umbrella”, companies offering payroll facilities that claim to be able to take advantage of self employed worker regulations which means that holiday pay and employers national insurance can, it is claimed, be sidestepped. Most schemes that we have seen do offer the workers a higher rate of pay than National Minimum Wage as a means of profit sharing on the savings but these schemes sail very close to the wind and are against the spirit of the employment regulations.

To gauge the authenticity of any offer simply ask for a copy of the schemes HMRC approval. If it is genuine why should they not send you one? To date we have never seen such a document but are aware that competitors claim to hold such approval so why not prove it?

Our advice is, if a copy of the HMRC approval is not provided – walk away and avoid a potential boomerang if HMRC challenges the arrangement.
Even if an HMRC approval is held make sure your employment needs meet the criteria.

It is an old joke but it reminds me of the scaffolder who at the top of the ladder was self employed but became employed as he fell to the bottom – so it is very much caveat emptor , so please be careful.

In every business there is a minimum cost of doing business and if you get offers of hourly rates that look to good to be true , it because they are

The manufacturing sector is expected to grow from 11% to 15%, however the financial services sector to contract from 8% to 5%.

The report also states it expects a fall in the UK’s economic output next year, a trend that will be felt around the world.

The downturn of sterling will certainly help the export sector, companies are already looking to ‘cash in’, particularly the pharmaceutical and aircraft area. The manufacturing sector as a whole has witnessed a severe drop off, this has left the door open for a mini-revival.

Consumer spending is expected to underperform economic output, going forward government spending will need to be lowered to reduce the national debt. A full recovery is on the cards but it is a long way off yet.

The UK needs to work its way through this difficult period, the overall economy is set to contract by some 4% this year and 1% next.

In last week’s Budget, Chancellor Alistair Darling predicted that the UK economy would contract by 3.5% this year, but would grow by 1.25% in 2010, general consensus is, he is being overly optimistic

The IMF on the other hand expects the UK economy to shrink by 4.1% in 2009, and contract a further 0.4% in 2010.

In line with this, the Community of European Shipyard Association will be launching a massive recruitment campaign. The shipping companies will also open their doors to students who might want to try putting their skills to good use. The main goal is attracting potential employees and ultimately putting an end to this important recruitment problem.

The shipping industry is expecting a huge growth during the coming years, but concerns over a small pool of recruitment remain: this is definitely not a problem which should be treated lightly. The labor shortage issue led other shipping companies to adjust ferry schedules due to lack of staff and crew.

The European shipping industry hopes that, as a result of this massive campaign, things will be able to get back on track and, even more so, that taking things to the next level will be possible.