HR reacts to Chancellor's latest budget

Yesterday saw Chancellor Philip Hammond reveal his budget for the coming year. In his pronouncement to Parliament, he pledged a Budget for ‘the strivers, the grafters and carers’ with key takeaways for HR.

Smaller firms’ contribution to Apprenticeship Levy to be cut from ten per cent to five per cent

However, Ian Brinkley, acting Chief Economist for the CIPD, wasn’t entirely convinced by the cut. He said:  “It’s promising to see that the Government has halved the apprenticeship levy contribution for smaller businesses but this is unlikely to greatly boost the number of apprenticeships offered by small firms, many of which lack the capacity to take on apprentices.

“It’s vital that the Government continues to review the operation of the levy to ensure it delivers the right results for all businesses and individuals, and that it can meaningfully help address the UK’s productivity challenge,” Brinkley concludes.