Commenting on the Conservative party’s tax plans announced today (Tuesday), John Cridland, Deputy Director-General of the CBI, said:
“We know small and medium-sized manufacturers are cutting jobs for the first time during this crisis.
“While firms have to do what is right for their businesses in these challenging times, these imaginative proposals would help some small businesses keep people in work.”
1. The CBI’s quarterly SME trends survey, released on November 10th 2008, found that 17% of small and medium-sized manufacturers had expanded their workforce in the last three months, while 29% had reduced the numbers they employed. The resulting balance of -13% represents the biggest quarterly fall in employment since October 2003, down from July’s figure of +6%.
2. The CBI Annual Conference will take place on 24 November 2008 at the London Hilton on Park Lane. To accredit, please follow this link: http://www.cbi2008conference.org.uk/media.asp and enter your details on the online Media Accreditation form. You will need to upload a photo. The CBI Annual Conference always draws together exceptional leaders of business and politics. You can access the day’s full programme here.
3. The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce. The organisation is also the UK's official business representative in the European Union, which generates more than 50 per cent of regulation affecting British firms.