The economy

British businesses are showing signs of improvement in an area where they have long and traditionally lagged behind the international competition: worker productivity.

One out of three firms have imposed wage freezes on their employees this year, a new study has found.

The fragile nature of the UK’s economic recovery has been exposed by new figures that have revealed a drop in manufacturing output.

Almost a half of small firms are anticipating an upturn in sales during the next year, a business group has claimed.

The UK economy is on course to emerge from the recession in the second half of the year, the CBI has predicted in its latest forecast.

The UK economy has begun the journey towards recovery but still faces many risks, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said.

Bank lending to businesses fell by £8.4 billion in July, new figures have revealed.

Average pay increases offered by UK firms have dipped to just 1 per cent, the lowest figure since records began.

Internet shopping recorded a 15.7 per cent rise in July compared with the previous month, a new survey has revealed.

A surge in confidence among business professionals could suggest that UK is about to emerge from the recession.