NATIONAL
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Historical days out hit record high
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ational Trust membership has climbed above 5.5 million in a record-breaking year for conservation spending. The English heritage and historical charity announced in its annual report that its membership had increased in the past year by more than 300,000 to 5,600,000.
It also revealed that it had spent more than £148m on conservation and restoration projects in 2018/19. A total of 26.9m visits were made to the 780 miles of coastline, 248,000 hectares of land and more than 500 historic houses, gardens and parks that the National Trust looks after.
Employment and wage rates on the up
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fficial figures released by the Office of National Statistics reveal that UK wage growth is at its highest since 2008. Not only have payslip figures risen but the number of people working has seen a sharp increase with a record 32.81 million people in employment. Despite this wage growth, the gig economy, which currently
accounts for nearly five million workers in the UK is still blighted by late payments. Research from ETZ Payments unveils 25% of Brits cannot afford commitments such as weddings and holidays due to the freelance payment structure whilst 13% of freelancers regularly miss bill payments due to not being paid on time.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity. BUSINESS WISDOM
A smarter way to watch TV
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ky’s advertising arm, Sky Media, has recently announced the results of its research into the addressable TV market via the report ‘AdSmart: 5 Years and Forward’. Addressable TV allows brands to target key groups based on specific attributes including post codes and Mosaic groups on the UK’s biggest chan-
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SURREY BUSINESS
nels, making TV more relevant and affordable. 75% of the UK’s top advertisers have now used AdSmart, but also 1000 SMEs have now used TV for the first time because of the technology. The research revealed that AdSmart is helping businesses grow, boosts ad engagement by up to 35% and cuts channel switching by 48%, proving a win for viewers and advertisers. AdSmart is now available in Virgin Media homes as well, meaning 40% of homes can be reached by addressable TV, allowing brands to reach audiences as small as 5000 and up to 30 million.
UK firms go Dutch
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rexit has lured almost 100 companies away from Britain and into the Netherlands, according to a Dutch government agency. 98 firms have so far set up shop in the Netherlands with a further 325 companies planning to move. Of the firms that have upped sticks are media companies Bloomberg and Discovery, and financial firms MarketAxess and Norinchukin. Other businesses attracted to the Netherlands because of Brexit are in the IT, advertising, life sciences and health sectors.
Apprenticeships v University
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survey commissioned by the Chartered Management Institute found that 51% of parents would encourage their child to apply for an apprenticeship instead of university, and 59% of parents thought an apprenticeship provided better job prospects than a degree. The survey also found few people were aware of T Levels - a new technical study programme that will sit alongside apprenticeships and A Levels - due to launch in England next year. Rob Wall, head of policy at the CMI, said raising awareness was “proving to be a real challenge”. “As parents are a major influencer in young people’s education and career choices, educating and informing parents will be key to making T-levels a success.”
The most popular laboursaving device is still money BUSINESS WISDOM