Following the publication of the Budget on 23 March 2011, alongside the "Plan for Growth", the Government announced a range of measures, which will have a particular impact on employers. For example:

• The Government will introduce a moratorium exempting businesses with fewer than 10 employees and start up businesses from new domestic regulation for three years from 1 April 2011.
• The regulations which were due to extend the right to request flexible working to parents of children under 18 will be withdrawn. These were due to come into force on 6 April 2011.
• The dual discrimination provisions of the Equality Act 2010 will not be brought into force.
• The Government will consult "to remove the unworkable requirement" that employers take reasonable steps to prevent third party harassment.

by Louise Fernandes-Owen of Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP  - 30th March 2011

With the Royal Wedding only a few weeks away, some employers may well be wondering if they have to pay their staff for this extra public holiday.

Recruitment Consultant 29th March 2011

As politicians and economists puzzle over the jobless recovery, managers who have started to hire again face another problem: how to handle all the overqualified candidates coming through their doors.

Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review | Mar. 21, 2011

Encouraging figures from REC shows growth in private sector confidence.Ninety-four per cent of employers are expecting to keep current staffing levels with one in four planning increases.

February 2011 Recruitment Consultant

CEOs say talent is their number one priority as risk management takes a back seat. Eighty three per cent of global CEOs have said managing talent in the recruitment upturn is their number one priority.

Recruitment Consultant February 2011

The Government has now published regulations setting out the transitional provisions for phasing out the default retirement age (DRA) of 65 from 6 April 2011. The Regulations come into force on 6 April 2011
February 2011 by Louise Fernandes-Owen of Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG have provided welcome news to the country’s jobseekers. According to their latest Report on Jobs, following a sustained slowdown in the country’s job market the level of permanent and temporary appointments showed strong rises during November. December 2010 byThe GrapevineOnline

The Government has announced that it will remove the default retirement age of 65 introduced by the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. It proposes to begin phasing out the default retirement age (DRA) from April 2011. The Government's proposals are subject to a consultation which will run until 21 October 2010.  August 2010 by Louise Fernandes-Owen at Field Fisher Waterhouse

The Government has issued a consultation paper, seeking views on whether the new ‘right to request time to train’ should be repealed, retained for large organisations or extended as planned.  August 2010 by Louise Fernandes-Owen at Field Fisher Waterhouse

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a series of guidance documents to help explain the new Equality Act 2010 and provide practical examples on how the law will be changing. The guidance documents currently cover employers, workers, service providers and service users. The guidance is due to come into force on 1 October 2010.  August 2010 by Louise Fernandes-Owen at Field Fisher Waterhouse