Round-up of the week

Three-quarter of employees are on temporary contracts

Most workers across the globe do not have permanent jobs, a new report has revealed.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 25 per cent of employed people around the world are on a permanent contract.

This means the remaining three-quarters are on temporary or short-term contracts, while many are self-employed.

Guy Ryder, director general of the ILO, commented: "These new figures point to an increasingly diversified world of work. In some case, non-standard forms of work can help people get a foothold into the job market."

CBI calls on businesses to back Europe

With the Conservative Party winning an outright majority in the general election, the prospect of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union (EU) is now firmly on the table.

Prime minister David Cameron is suggesting holding the vote in 2017, but many commentators and political rivals believe it could actually come sooner.

As a result, the CBI is keen to rally Britain's business community into backing the country's continued membership.

Sir Mike Rake, president of the group, argued that the question should not centre around whether the UK would survive outside the EU, but whether it would be able to thrive.

"No one has yet set out a credible alternative future to EU membership," he said. "The current alternatives are not realistic options - little or no influence and the obligation to comply with EU principles whilst still paying most of the costs."

Sir Mike accepted that the European project needs to be reformed, but insisted the UK's goals can be achieved by building alliances with our continental neighbours rather than changing the treaty.

He stressed that while reform cannot happen overnight, collaborating with Britain's allies on an "ambitious yet achievable" agenda can help it become a reality.

"So we support the Prime Minister’s drive for a more competitive EU and the new government can count on business's support to make this happen," Sir Mike commented.

He added that while the UK's business community has been increasingly vocal on the issue of Europe in recent times, it is now time to start turning up the volume.

However, Sir Mike stressed that business leaders must make a point of communicating clearly and speaking in a language that people can understand.