
Recruitment failures are worsening a talent shortage in communications roles. A new report warns that flawed hiring processes are accelerating staff departures across the UK’s strategic communications sector, with candidates increasingly disengaging from slow recruitment timelines, poor feedback, and unclear decision-making by employers.

Frankfurt School has launched a new tracker for Europe’s transformation. The AI-led Compass is designed to map project-level private investment across energy, digital infrastructure, industrial capacity, and defence, giving policymakers, financiers, and corporates a clearer view of where capital is being deployed.

Business Disability Forum has revealed its 2026 awards finalists today. The shortlist spans 14 categories and highlights organisations and individuals improving outcomes for disabled employees, consumers, and service users through measurable inclusion work.

NatWest appoints regional champions to support UK mid-market economic growth. The bank says stronger regional leadership will help mid-sized companies expand and contribute more widely to the UK economy, with research suggesting even modest growth across the segment could generate billions in additional national output.

Position Green unveils ROI Calculator for decarbonisation investment analysis. The new tool helps companies measure financial and emissions impact, offering metrics like ROI, NPV, and payback period. It supports decision-making by linking environmental impact to business value.

Azerion promotes Roxanne Harley to new strategy and growth role. Omnichannel advertising platform Azerion has appointed Roxanne Harley as VP Strategy and Growth, expanding her remit to integrate creative, insight, and campaign analytics as the company deepens its data-led advertising offering.

SME funding roadshow expands with new finance ecosystem partners. Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance has joined the FUEL Roadshow, a UK-wide programme designed to connect SMEs with investors, lenders, and advisers as businesses navigate an increasingly complex funding environment.

Self-employed earnings vary sharply across UK sectors, new analysis shows. Finance and property lead the rankings, while business survival rates vary significantly by region, with the South West and Northern Ireland reporting the strongest five-year resilience among newly formed enterprises.

Europe’s biggest investors are challenging a sudden panic on rates. Amundi and Allianz Global Investors are positioning against the latest ECB and Bank of England repricing, arguing energy volatility has run ahead of fundamentals, even as higher gilt yields and swap rates have already tightened UK mortgage availability and financing conditions.

Reuters poll highlights expectations that February’s US inflation edged up. The estimate points to slightly firmer price growth before the Iran conflict pushed oil and fuel costs sharply higher, leaving March inflation and rate expectations more exposed to energy volatility.