February

There are signs that the growing Romanian technology startup scene has started to attract a lot more international attention and it could take as little as two years for it to be seen as a true rival to London thanks to the strong startup and tech culture that already exists there.

The country has the highest number of terms of technology workers per capita in Europe, whilst recent successful exits from the likes of Avangate and UberVu are fuelling the new tech startup boom. The tech industry further benefits from an attractive level of taxation compared with much of the rest of the Europe. Whilst it may never overtake London, the future is definitely bright for the Romanian startup scene.

On 1 December 2014, section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) will be brought into force, which will make it a criminal offence to request an enforced subject access request. Currently, such requests can be used to reveal details of any criminal convictions that the individual has, which includes information to which employers would not otherwise have access. Both the Information Commissioner and the Disclosure and Barring Service have expressed concern that enforced subject access requests not only represent an abuse of an individual 's rights but also potentially undermine important public policies.

One half of British businesses are planning to expand their workforce in 2015, with jobs projected to be created in all UK regions, and permanent jobs outstripping temporary work, according to a new survey conducted by the CBI and Accenture.

There is concern, however, that skills gaps could prevent some of those jobs being filled and threaten UK competitiveness. It is also feared that new regulation may damage job creation in the UK 's flexible labour market. Additionally, the survey reveals that pay rises are anticipated in 2015, though at a cautious rate, reflecting weak productivity and competitive pressures. The research underlines also the vital role played by the UK 's flexible labour market in underpinning growth and job creation, which the CBI is urging the next Parliament to preserve.