Another headache for small businesses

The latest UK unemployment figures may have been heralded as good news by the government but they are adding to another headache facing small businesses.

The nation’s jobless rate remains at a near record-low 3.9 per cent, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis published in April. That is down from more than eight per cent earlier in the decade.

However, when you take into account that net EU migration to the UK fell to the lowest level since 2009, it is little wonder that the latest Small Business Index (SBI) shows that one in three smaller firms identify access to the right staff as a major barrier to growth.