Email a collegue.| Headline: | Paperwork falls but sole traders still suffer Back to Top |
| Description: | The amount of time sole traders spend filling out forms has fallen for the first time in five years, according to a survey.
The average now is 8.4 hours a month, compared with 8.9 per cent in September 2003, a reduction of 5 per cent says the Nat West quarterly survey. While the fall is welcome the bad news is that business people still spend a third more of their time on government forms than they did in August 2000 and sole traders fare the worst. The average small firm spent 23.3 hours a month completing government paperwork. This increased to 73.1 hours a month for those with more than 25 staff, reflecting the additional laws and regulations imposed on firms as they grow and employ more people. Businesses with more than 25 staff spend 1.5 hours per employee on forms, down from 1.8 hours in 2003. Those with more than 50 staff now spend 0.6 hours per employee compared with 1.8 hours. More than half the firms surveyed said the cost of employee regulation and paperwork had meant they employed fewer staff than they would like. More than a third said they would avoid employing more people, while 18 per cent said they had actually reduced their workforce. |
| Date: | 09.02.2005 |
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