BEWARE THE DANGERS OF DOUBLE DIPPING
The health and safety police have been telling us for a while now that double dipping is dangerous. By that, they mean those occasions when you dip your tortilla chip into a guacamole dip, or whatever chip/dip takes your fancy. You start to eat it and decide there just isn't enough topping so you dip again - shock, horror, with the remaining piece of chip that you've already taken a bite out of.
Now this practice is called 'double dipping' and has become about as socially acceptable as a sexually transmitted disease.
What still seems to be acceptable, however, is endless talk about a double dip in the economy. Once again, the doom mongers are out in force telling us that we're in the midst of a double dip recession, all hope is lost, and we might as well all pack up and go home.
Well that's not exactly true. First, unemployment has actually gone down by 45,000 according to the latest figures and in total, employment has increased by 105,000. This is good news, isn't it? Well you wouldn't think so when you read headlines like 'Unemployment kept down by a squeeze in pay and a surge in part time jobs'! Well of course employers are cautious with their recruitment but there's no escaping the fact that 105,000 more people are in work than three months ago, and that part time jobs often lead to full time ones.
Secondly, with another piece of great news, the latest Purchasing Managers' Index, produced by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, shows 'Solid growth in the UK service sector in April' (their headline, not mine). It reported that in April 2012, activity, new business and employment had all grown and that expectations for the next 12 months are positive, reaching a 25 month high.
So let's take these positive indicators to heart and move forwards. Stop listening to the doom and gloom merchants and start to make a little of our own good luck.
My plan for this month - to make talk of double dip recessions as unacceptable as double dip guacamole.
Now this practice is called 'double dipping' and has become about as socially acceptable as a sexually transmitted disease.
What still seems to be acceptable, however, is endless talk about a double dip in the economy. Once again, the doom mongers are out in force telling us that we're in the midst of a double dip recession, all hope is lost, and we might as well all pack up and go home.
Well that's not exactly true. First, unemployment has actually gone down by 45,000 according to the latest figures and in total, employment has increased by 105,000. This is good news, isn't it? Well you wouldn't think so when you read headlines like 'Unemployment kept down by a squeeze in pay and a surge in part time jobs'! Well of course employers are cautious with their recruitment but there's no escaping the fact that 105,000 more people are in work than three months ago, and that part time jobs often lead to full time ones.
Secondly, with another piece of great news, the latest Purchasing Managers' Index, produced by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, shows 'Solid growth in the UK service sector in April' (their headline, not mine). It reported that in April 2012, activity, new business and employment had all grown and that expectations for the next 12 months are positive, reaching a 25 month high.
So let's take these positive indicators to heart and move forwards. Stop listening to the doom and gloom merchants and start to make a little of our own good luck.
My plan for this month - to make talk of double dip recessions as unacceptable as double dip guacamole.
