Monthly Archives: February 2010

Public Sector Reliant on Migrant Workers

Key points from the survey included: The majority of hard to fill vacancies were in the medical and engineering sectors 10% of surveyed companies said they planned to outsource jobs abroad in 2010 50% of the IT Companies surveyed said they planned to outsource jobs abroad in 2010 20% of Manufacturing Companies said they planned […]

NHS Hospital Struck Down by Computer Virus

Last Friday IT systems at the West Middlesex University Hospital were hit by the bug leaving hospital workers unable to book appointments via electronic systems, meaning a return to pen and paper. Although the virus was contained and a number of systems cleaned some systems still remain unavailable. The hospital employs 1,900 staff, has 400 […]

Junior Doctors given iDoc™to aid in Training

£500,000 has been invested in the two year trial by the Deanery for Wales, with the hope being that the devices will help trainee’s access medical information more quickly and provide them with better equipment to treat patients. A greater roll out may be undertaken if the trail proves successful. What is the iDoc? The […]

English Language Test Provider Removed

Applications made after the 11th February 2010 The Test detailed above will not be accepted by the UK Border Agency at all past the 11th February 2010. Individuals who have taken the test should arrange to sit an alternative test before submitting an application otherwise they will find their application is rejected on the basis […]

Microsoft Office 2010 Prices Released

In recent years Microsoft has come under significant pressure from competitors who offer free entry level versions of Office software, including Open Office. In the last year a number of large organisations have moved to cheaper alternatives from expensive Microsoft Licenses following the economic slowdown and many expect the trend to continue over the coming […]

Atos Origin Reports Strong 2009 Results

Key points from the results 2009 include: UK operations performed strongly (revenues grew by 7.4% due to the performance of Managed Services) Revenues in Germany declined Revenues in France remained the same Revenues fell in Consulting and Systems Integration sectors Operating Margins improved due to cost cutting Rent and Lease dropped by 15% Travelling Costs […]

UK Unemployment Figures

Key Statistics for the final Quarter of 2009 (October through December): Employment Rate 72.4% – 28.91 million people employed – A fall of 12,000 Unemployment Rate 7.8% – 2.46 million people unemployed – A fall of 3,000 Inactivity Rate 21.3% – 8.08 million working age inactive people Total Pay (including bonuses) rose by 0.8% on […]

Tier 4 Student suspension partially lifted in India, Bangladesh and Nepal

Since the 1st February 2010 Tier 4 Student has been suspended at the following visa application centres: North India: New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh Bangladesh: Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong Nepal: Katmandu, The suspension has affected thousands of genuine students wishing to study a higher education course at a UK Academic Institution. In the final three months of […]

Tier 4 Student suspension partially lifted in India, Bangladesh and Nepal

The UK Border Agency has announced that it will partially lift the suspension of Tier 4 (Student) of the Points Based System (PBS) at seven visa application centres in North India, Bangladesh & Nepal from the 1st March 2010 following investigations into whether certain applications were genuine.

REC Survey Shows Employer Confidence Is Returning

Survey highlights: 94% of Employers expect to either maintain or grow their permanent workforce in the next 12 months One in four employers are planning to increase their temporary workforce in the next year Communication and Interpersonal Skills top the list of specific attributes desired in candidates The REC’s Director of Research, Roger Tweedy said […]