Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week...
Micro-businesses waste hours on accounts
More than half of British micro-businesses and sole traders do their accounts using pen and paper or a spreadsheet, according to a survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of FreeAgent. It means that many business owners are wasting unnecessary time - 23% of those surveyed spend more than one working day per month managing their accounts and 8% spend at least three days on their books.
Aging workforce to cause future staff shortfall
An aging population means that the UK economy will struggle to fill one million jobs by 2035, even taking into account the mitigating effect of migrant workers. These are the findings of new research from the CIPD and the International Longevity Centre-UK. The CIPD is urging businesses to take steps now to build a more age diverse workforce, rather than fall victim to a mass exodus of skills as their workforce ages. There are currently 9.4 million workers in the UK over the age of 50; but while the employment rate of older workers has increased, there is still a 64% drop in the employment rate between the ages of 53 and 67.
Businesses on cold calling repeat offenders
Persistent cold callers and scammers are a significant problem for UK businesses, according to a survey by Protecting. The worst offenders, it says, are recruitment and insurance companies, followed by card processing firms, pay-per-click and SEO experts and utility firms. The poll found that 89% of business owners said they would never buy from a cold caller and 91% said they would be put off buying from a company for life if they persisted in cold calling them after they had been asked to stop.
Creating a new generation of entrepreneurs
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the UK's leading enterprise charity, Young Enterprise, are teaming up to give teenagers from across the UK the chance to become the next business stars. The goal is to highlight the value of vocational education, focusing on six schools in disadvantaged areas. Young people will get a share of funding from the FSB as they embark on Young Enterprise's Company Programme, receiving mentoring to help them better understand the world of business. John Allan, FSB national chairman, said: "This partnership is crucial because businesses are concerned that young people aren't prepared for the world of work."