A round-up of HR-related stories in today’s newspapers.
London has emerged as the surprise leader in a list of the most cost-effective places in the UK to study, reports the Guardian. NatWest’s latest annual Student Living Index claims that undergraduates in London benefit from such a wide availability of well-paid part-time work that they are better off studying in the capital than anywhere else in the UK.
School leavers are “not interested” in an engineering career, a survey of 2,000 A-level and university students by Centrica revealed. The Daily Telegraph reports that 55% would not consider a career in science, technology or energy. Media and entertainment jobs were more desirable, the study showed.
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Talks are due to begin later today in an attempt to avert a strike that could close six UK airports later this month. The BBC reports that talks between BAA and the Unite union – backed by the conciliation service Acas – are set to take place at an undisclosed location. Security staff, engineers, and firefighters have voted to strike over a 1.5% pay offer.
Nearly 900,000 individuals have been out of work on sick benefits for at least a decade – costing the taxpayer more than £4 billion a year. The figures were revealed in an analysis of incapacity benefit claims released by the coalition, according to the Daily Mail.
