Gazeteer

Published on Thursday 25 September 2008 21:35

Second careers - City slickers head on to web THEY may be getting turfed out of their expensive offices in London’s financial district, but redundant City workers are putting their skills to good use, an online recruitment company yesterday said.

Large and small businesses around the UK are using the internet to find newly-redundant City workers to advise on a range of issues relating to the current economic turmoil, according to PeoplePerHour.com

The site has reported a marked increase in the number of businesses posting requests for financial advice.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, who founded the website last year with Simos Kitiris, said the number of people offering their services on the site on issues such as “bankruptcy”, “debt collection” and general “financial management” has also increased, as cash-strapped City workers look to make money.

Thrasyvoulou adds: “These redundant City workers are highly-qualified individuals, often with extremely marketable skills.”

GOOD DAY

Proven Energy

THE East Kilbride-based maker of small wind turbines has been named as one of Europe’s “hottest” clean technology firms by investors. Proven – which has 90 staff in Scotland, India and the United States – featured on Library House’s Cleantech 100 list.

BAD DAY

GE Money Home Lending

THE Financial Services Authority has fined GE Money Home Lending 1.12 million for failings that led to 684 borrowers with regulated mortgage contracts suffering financial losses in excess of 2.3m. GE paid compensation to those affected.

FACT OF THE DAY

420 million

CALL centres in the UK receive 420 million complaints a year, according to ContactBabel, the industry analytical research company.

The research found that 4.3 per cent of the total number of calls that reach centres are complaints.

KILLER QUOTE

THE United States will lose its superpower status in the world financial system. The financial market crisis is, first and foremost, an American problem.”

Peer Steinbrueck, the German finance minister, on the global financial crisis