on the job
Workplace optimism on the rise Consumer confidence is at its highest level in almost seven years as economic optimism among British workers increases, figures from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) suggest. The research shows marked year-on-year improvements in the number of employees receiving pay rises, bonuses and promotions as well as the number of people starting new jobs. Furthermore, the data, taken from YouGov’s Household Economic Activity Tracker, finds that fewer people have seen colleagues laid-off in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, the YouGov/Cebr Consumer Confidence Index is at its highest level since July 2007, before the financial crisis, and is close to reaching its pre-credit crunch peak. Stephen Harmston, head of syndicated research at YouGov, commented: ”Over the course of the long recession and slow recovery, consumer confidence has been somewhat fickle. However, the improvement in the labour market suggests that economic optimism is starting to reach workers as well as consumers; it is clear that this recovery has legs. The economy is approaching escape velocity and in the summer consumer confidence will surge past its pre-2008 peak.” Good news.
Top office data threats revealed The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a new security report highlighting eight of the most common IT security vulnerabilities that have resulted in organisations failing to keep people’s information secure. Vulnerabilities covered in the ICO’s report comprise: • a failure to keep software security up to date; • a lack of protection from SQL injection; • the use of unnecessary services; • poor decommissioning of old software and services; • the insecure storage of passwords; • failure to encrypt online communications; • poorly designed networks processing data in inappropriate areas; and • the continued use of default credentials including passwords. The ICO’s Simon Rice has published a series of blogs explaining the key aspects of the ICO’s latest advice.
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4.2%
The expected expansion in real terms of the London economy in 2014