Just 1% of British businesses have offered their staff a one-off cost-of-living payment, something the Bank of England had recently flagged as an upside risk for inflation pressure, an official survey of businesses showed on Thursday.
The Office for National Statistics said 5.5% of companies employing more than 250 staff had offered such a payment in the three months leading up to mid-July.
However, a lower proportion of small companies had done so, leaving an aggregate of 1.1% for all businesses.
(Reuters)
The scale of the event is immense, comparable to the combined populations of the United States and Canada. (Photo: Getty Images)
A Hindu devotee smeared with ash dances during a religious procession ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on January 10. (Photo: Getty Images)
Pilgrims carrying their belongings walk over floating pontoon bridges to go to Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, in Prayagraj on January 12. (Photo: Getty Images)
