Business News Round Up (12/02/2021)
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UK economy shrank by 9.9% in 2020, its largest contraction on record
The U.K. economy contracted by 9.9% in 2020, its largest annual contraction since records began,as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged economic activity. In the final quarter of the year, gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1%, according to the Office for National Statistics, as the country re-imposed nationwide lockdown measures in a bid to combat a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. The 9.9% annual contraction is more than twice that seen in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Economists polled by Refinitiv had expected an 8% annual decline, in 2020 with a fourth-quarter expansion of 0.5%. This follows a revised 16.1% rebound in the third quarter as social, travel and business restrictions were eased.
North West exports to China hit £10bn mark since 2015
The North West has continued to strengthen trading relationships with the Chinese market, with total exports passing the £10bn mark in the last six years. Analysis from Deloitte has revealed that annual export figures have remained stable at between £1.5bn and £1.8bn each year. Despite the ongoing uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this figure has remained consistent over the past 12 months. The North West has exported £1.2bn to Chinese businesses in the first three quarters of the year at an average of £400m per quarter. This represents a rise on the £375m quarterly average seen in 2019 and is identical to 2018 levels.
Data Lab to pass £1 million funding boost on to Scottish businesses
The Data Lab has announced two new funding schemes – Data Skills for Work, and an SME data internship grant – to support further business investment and innovation in the sector. Data Skills for Work is designed to diversify the workforce by helping adults to up-skill and re-skill in data to progress in their careers. Initially launched in Edinburgh and south-east Scotland through the City Region Deal, the new funding means up to £100,000 in additional Data Skills Credits can now be rolled out across Scotland to support the small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) workforce. Part of the Data Driven Innovation (DDI) Skills Gateway, the programme aims to enhance Scotland’s labour market with a range of data skills, supporting workers in jobs that are being changed by automation, women returning to the workplace, people with disabilities and BAME communities.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/data-lab-pass-1-million-23488082
Greater Manchester’s entrepreneurial spirit offers hopes for strong economic recovery, reveals Hub report
Greater Manchester’s SME community “has shown an unwavering ability to seek opportunity, innovate and thrive in the hardest of times” a new report has revealed. This is just one of the findings in GC Business Growth Hub’s first ever annual review, ‘The Greater Manchester Business Growth Report’, published today. The 53-page document provides vital insight into how the region’s businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as understanding opportunities and challenges in the year ahead. Figures quoted in the report, from the Greater Manchester Business Survey 2020, show that the city-region was spearheading innovation at a rate double the national average. A total of 406 companies, 76% of those surveyed, had conducted innovation projects. Whereas, The UK Innovation Survey 2019 published last July, found that compared to only 38% of SMEs nationally.