Business development

3,000 growing medium-sized businesses contributed £59 billion to the UK economy between 2010 and 2013.

Small and medium sized enterprises' access to superfast broadband continues to fall behind residential consumers.

Creative sector SMEs are generating jobs at a faster rate than small businesses in traditional industries such as manufacturing and construction, according to research by the think tank Centre for Cities.

There are concerns amongst employers that the apprenticeship levy will increase the number of apprenticeships at the expense of quality and investment in training and development, according to new research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Job over-qualification is reaching 'saturation point' as more university graduates are entering jobs that do not require a degree, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

More than 1.4 million employees saved an average of £122.94 a month in 2014 by taking part in company share schemes, according to ifs ProShare.

More than three quarters of employers have experienced recruitment difficulties in the past year, according to research by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development.

SMEs are not making use of expert advice when starting their business, research by Aviva has found.

Freelancers' average earnings have outperformed the average employee salary so far this year, according to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed.

Almost two thirds of UK businesses generated a cash surplus this year, according to research by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.