New figures show that the proportion of people working from home dropped slightly last year.

APSCo, a group that represents many of the recruiters that umbrella company contractors work with, has become the latest organisation invited by the Revenue to join the IR35 Forum.

Despite the new Bribery Act coming into force on the first of July, one in seven people who work in large organisations are prepared to offer cash bribes in a bid to secure business. Furthermore, nearly 50% are not aware of an anti-bribery policy in the company.

The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP has said the point based system for immigration has room for improvement, especially when it comes to the rules regarding intra-company transfers.

There is a substantial gap between the anticipated incomes of men and women in retirement, according to the Class of 2011 study from Prudential. Men expect an average income of £19,400 per year when they retire, whilst women anticipate just £12,200.

Marks Sattin, the accountancy and financial services recruiter, has released details of its research into salaries in the professions.

Umbrella company contractors may be about to witness the biggest drop in household incomes for 30 years, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Recent research conducted by HSBC has discovered that 29% of people in the UK think their job is not secure over the next year and 37% believe the same will be true over the next three years.

Are IT outsourcers really being fair to their clients? According to a recent survey, 77% of IT professionals working in companies that outsource work say their outsourcers make up work to get more money.

Umbrella company contractors may be interested to learn that public sector pay has risen at a faster rate than it has in the private sector.

Although the majority of SMEs in the UK have faith in exports leading the economic recovery, nearly 25% say they are going to decrease their international trading activity.

Good news for umbrella company contractors working in the renewable sector comes from Vestas, the wind turbine manufacturer, which intends to build giant turbines in Kent.