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UK employers keep hiring but see                                          work in any EU country.
                                                                                             “Firms are concerned
                 Brexit risks ahead, survey shows                                          about ­nding the right sta•
                                                                                           in the future, and this is
                                                                                           damaging the outlook for
                                                                                           investment in the longer
                                                                  above the rate of retail price   term,” said Neil Carberry,
                                                                  inˆation, which could mean   the CBI’s Managing Director
                                                                  increases of around three   for People Policy.
                                                                  per cent, up from about    Almost 90 per cent of
                                                                  2.5 per cent now, reports   companies said continued
                                                                  Reuters. Such an increase   access to skills and labour
                                                                  would be line with the Bank   from the EU was important
                                                                  of England’s forecasts.  or vital.
                                                                    The failure of pay to    “The worst thing we
                                                                  pick up quickly, even as   could do would be to
                                                                  unemployment falls fast,   undermine the many EU
                                                                  has puzzled central banks in   nationals already here
                                                                  many rich countries. Britain’s   and contributing to our
                                                                  problem is made more acute  businesses and public
                                                                  by the spike in inˆation   services,” Carberry said.
                  The UK has said it will no                      caused by the pound’s      London and Brussels
                  longer uphold EU freedom                        decline in value aer the   have agreed to o•er
                  of movement rules                               Brexit vote in 2016.     equal treatment on social
                                                                    The CBI survey, which   security, healthcare,
                                                                  was conducted before     employment and education
                 BRITISH EMPLOYERS        recruitment ­rm Pertemps   Prime Minister Theresa   and that Britain will enable
                 PLAN to hire more workers   showed, up from 41 per   May secured an agreement   its judges to ask the
                 and raise pay more quickly   cent in last year’s survey.  from Brussels to move   European Court of Justice
                 in 2018, but they also fear   Strong job creation has   Brexit talks to a second   to weigh in when necessary
                 that Brexit will make the   been a bright spot in Britain’s   phase, showed companies   for eight years aer Brexit,
                 country a less attractive   economy in recent years,   were worried about   aiming to create a common
                 place to do business, a new   but recent o‡cial data has   the outlook for Britain’s   body of law.
                 survey shows.            shown a fall in employment,   economy further ahead.  Nearly two-thirds of
                   Fiy-one per cent of   leading some economists to   May has said she will   companies taking part in
                 employers expect to      wonder if the labour market   no longer uphold the   the CBI survey said they
                 expand their workforce   is about to weaken.     European Union’s freedom   thought Britain will become
                 next year, the survey by   Slightly more than half of   of movement rules which   a less attractive place in
                 the Confederation of     businesses expected to raise   allow workers from   which to do business in ­ve
                 British Industry (CBI) and   pay this year in line with or   countries in the bloc to seek   years’ time. ■




                 Pension deficits at UK’s biggest firms falls                                pension scheme that might

                 £9bn as blue-chips race to fill black hole                                 have had an employer
                                                                                           cost of 10 to 15 per cent
                                                                                           of payroll in the late
                                                                                           1980s now costs the same
                 THE PENSION DEFICIT of   100 ­rms race to ­ll their   billion, JLT said, increasing   employer well over 40 per
                 UK blue chips has fallen £9   huge pension black holes,   the pressure on companies   cent of payroll.”
                 billion since 2016 as FTSE   reports The Telegraph.   to close generous de­ned   Just 19 FTSE 100 ­rms
                                           The Royal Bank of      bene­t pension schemes   still provide a signi­cant
                                          Scotland poured £4.5 billion  that pay out a proportion   number of sta• with a DB
                                          into its group pension fund   of an employee’s ­nal   pension scheme.
                                          last year, joining 51 others   salary for life.    Although pension de­cits
                                          on the FTSE 100 index     “A typical scheme now   are going down, JLT warned
                                          that made “signi­cant”   costs employers more than   that a “signi­cant” number
                                          contributions to their   three times the cost of 30   of ­rms are still sitting on
                                          pension funds, according to   years ago, largely as a result   pension pots that represent
                                          JLT Employment Bene­ts.   of increased longevity and   a “material risk”, with the
                                           However, the total     changing market conditions,”   de­cits at 11 household
                                          cost of pension liabilities   said Charles Cowling, a   names – including
                                          swelled 20 per cent on   director of JLT.        Sainsbury’s – dwar­ng their
                                          the previous year to £705   “A de­ned bene­t     stock market value. ■



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        News.indd   6                                                                                             18/01/2018   11:18
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