The Institute of Directors (IoD) has described recent employment and wage statistics as a "new stage of the recovery", with the headline rate of unemployment steady at 5.6%, the number of people in work falling slightly and wages growing at a rate of 2.4%.

Although the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG Report on Jobs shows permanent placements rose again in July (albeit at a slower pace), skills shortages continue to blight many UK sectors.

New market research by consultants Citrus HR suggests UK employment laws could be damaging small business and preventing them from taking on more staff.

Poor professional advice has meant one in six small and micro-businesses in the UK has lost money in the last year, according to new research by Direct Line for Business.

Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week...

Research by employment law consultancy Peninsula suggests just how hard many small-business owners and managers find it to fully switch off while on holiday.

UK businesses that employ people from overseas have been warned by immigration minister, James Brokenshire, that they will be "hit from all angles" if those workers have no legal right to work in the UK.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) wants the Government to better promote the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) to make it easier for more people in the UK to invest in new and growing businesses.

Research suggests that up to 54,000 pregnant women and new mothers are being forced out of their jobs in the UK each year as a consequence of discrimination.

Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week...