Amanda Kavanagh - Community Author: Finextra Research

How to overcome age bias in the job market

In the UK, over a third (35%) of workers are now aged 50 and over. As people live longer, healthier lives, and pension pots shrink, it makes sense that more people are working beyond traditional retirement. Despite this, age bias remains a significant issue. A new survey of 4,000 UK job seekers, and 1,000 HR decision-makers, including interviews w...

15 November 2024 /people

Why UK fintech is leading the charge for VC investment

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Why UK fintech is leading the charge for VC investment

Q3’s results are in, and it’s good news for the fintech industry. With $3.3 billion raised, a significant $1 billion more than any other sector, fintech has maintained its top ranking for 2024. The news comes via Dealroom’s UK Q3 Innovation Update, which shows that though investment in UK startups slowed over summer, UK startups still commanded $2...

18 October 2024 /people

Worried about layoffs? Strengthen your soft skills

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Worried about layoffs? Strengthen your soft skills

After a shaky few years, investment in UK fintech is growing. In its latest UK Innovation Update, Dealroom.co reports that fintech is the industry that has attracted the most investment in 2024, so far. Specifically, in Q1 and Q2, fintech startups in the UK raised $2.7 billion, compared to transport ($1.7b), energy ($1.5b), enterprise software ($1...

27 September 2024 /people

Looking for a flexible future? There are more part-time jobs on offer than ever before

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Looking for a flexible future? There are more part-time jobs on offer than ever before

As traditional working models continue to evolve, attitudes towards part-time work are changing. For some, it’s all about work-life balance or health, others are focused on upskilling or even in formal education. For many more part-timers, it’s about balancing care and home responsibilities. Whatever the reason, there has been a noted shift since 2...

16 August 2024 /people

These are the work skills Brits need to succeed

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

These are the work skills Brits need to succeed

As all industries become increasingly digitised, the need for a digitally-skilled workforce, at all levels, has never been greater. However, digital is just one of the areas affected by the current skills gap in the UK. Leadership-related soft skills, STEM and healthcare, and training and education joined digital in the top four of missing skills i...

14 June 2024 /people

Low productivity? These are the most common blockers at work

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Low productivity? These are the most common blockers at work

Productivity culture has taken a bashing in recent years, and rightfully so. As many productivity-obsessed people discovered the human toll of getting things done at all costs, productivity has become something of a dirty word. Whether you are working or job hunting (or both), you will likely have daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists to get throu...

31 May 2024 /people

Why savvy job seekers are looking to regtech

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Why savvy job seekers are looking to regtech

Lax controls in crypto and fintech companies resulted in global fines of $5.8bn last year, eclipsing fines to the entire traditional banking system by a considerable amount. According to fintech software leader Fenergo, fines in the traditional banking group amounted to $834m comparatively. Of that $5.8bn sum, $4.3bn was the well-reported US crim...

15 March 2024 /people

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

5 promising GenAI start-ups in the UK

Every industry seems to be on an AI gold rush at the moment, as the ever-evolving technology continues to dominate discussions around the future of work. Currently, what’s frequently making mainstream headlines is when AI goes rogue. Most recently, this was a DPD chatbot swearing, and even writing a poem about the company being the “worst delivery ...

26 January 2024 /people

CEO survey predicts full return to in-office working by 2026

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

CEO survey predicts full return to in-office working by 2026

KPMG’s latest CEO Outlook survey makes for grim reading for those currently enjoying remote and hybrid working. Out of 1,300 global CEOs of some of the world’s largest businesses, two-thirds (68%) predict a full return to in-office working by 2026. And worse still, 87% of leaders believe financial rewards, favourable assignments, and promotion opp...

22 December 2023 /people

5 ways to stop sabotaging your interview success

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

5 ways to stop sabotaging your interview success

Lateness is the obvious cardinal sin of sabotaging your interview success, but once you’re in the door – and on time – it’s soft skills that trip job hunters up. Realistically, hiring managers know from your CV if you have skills to do the job, so the interview is often more of a vibe check. From it, they’ll determine your working style, your attit...

08 December 2023 /people

A quarter of UK workers want to start 2024 with a new job

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

A quarter of UK workers want to start 2024 with a new job

If you are keen to start the new year with a new job, the best time to begin the process was last month. The second best time is now. Some 22% of workers hope to land a new job in 2024, according to a recent survey of 5,000 workers, and 40% of these respondents believe January is the best time to start looking. However, this does not align with ...

24 November 2023 /people

VC funding to female-founded companies increasing, but more to be done

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

VC funding to female-founded companies increasing, but more to be done

Despite all being relatively quiet on the VC funding front of late, female founders are still securing significantly more investment deals than they were five years ago. Recently updated data from market analysts PitchBook finds that so far in 2023, some 5.4% of European VC deals were female-only, compared to 2.6% in 2008. While in the US, 7% of d...

10 November 2023 /people

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