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Tomorrow, the tantalizing and contentious dream of a 30-hour workweek will become a reality in Sweden’s second-largest city of Gothenburg. The year-long experiment will compare two factions of municipal workers -- a control group who will stick to a 40-hour workweek and a test group that will have their hours slashed. All salaries will remain the same. The aim of the experiment is to determine whether reducing work hours might lead to increased productivity and fewer sick days. Initially brought forth by the city council’s majority coalition of Social Democrat and Green parties in April, the program officially kicks off tomorrow. Related: Does a 6-Hour Workday Lead to Better Productivity? Sweden's About to Find Out. While Gothenburg’s deputy mayor, Mats Pilhem, noted that a local car factory had employed a similar model to great success, opponents in the city council have referred to the proposal as a “dishonest and populist ploy” that would bear no impact on worke

The annual rate of house price inflation in London soared to its highest level in more than a decade in May, Land Registry figures showed on Friday, although the monthly increase was down on April's figure. The price of a home in the capital was up by 18.5% year-on-year, the biggest jump on the measure since March 2003 and far in excess of the 6.7% annual growth recorded across England and Wales. The average cost of a home in greater London stood at £439,719, more than two-and-a-half times the national average. However, the monthly figures suggest the pace of house price growth in England and Wales has started to slow. The Land Registry said prices were up by 0.4% over the month, a fall from April's figure of 1.5%, while in London the monthly changed dropped back from 4.2% to 2.5%. Many parts of the country recorded small drops, although in Ceredigion in Wales prices leaped by 5.9%. Any signs of a slowdown would come as a relief to would-be homebuyers and to policymake

I believe you must have heard this saying before,’ if wishes were horses beggars would ride’.The essence of this proverb is not to put the acquisition of wealth beyond the reach of any man but to emphasise the fact that nothing goes for nothing. To excel in any field of endeavour requires more than dreaming. It requires hard work and persistence along with other qualities. In real estate, the principles are so basic and the wealth vehicle is so tested that you will imagine that everybody would become a real estate millionaire. Although this is desirable, it is simply not the case. To ensure that you are not part of the unfortunate statistics, you need to address factors that can prevent or limit your attainment of your goals in this area. Principal culprit in this area is a negative attitude towards real estate investment. A wise man once said that there are at least two kinds of people that cannot be helped; first, the man who does not know that he has a problem and secondly

The expectations that business will soon commence at the New Tejuosho Market may not come through any time soon as the project financiers have intensified their legal battle that has been running for several years. The NewTejuosho Market                    The original market is located between Ojuelegba Road and Tejuosho Street in the heart of Lagos Mainland and was rated as one of the busiest markets in Lagos before it was gutted by fire twice in 2004 and 2007, when it was completely burnt down. The cause of both fire incidents remains unknown but shop owners reportedly lost goods valued at several millions of naira. The incidents prompted the state government to take over the property and subsequently gave out the first phase of the redevelopment as a concession to Stormberg Engineering Company Limited. The reconstruction project, which includes the expansion and transformation of the market to an ultra-modern facility, has been on since then. However, the fi

Deposits that tenants have to pay landlords have jumped by 50% to £900 since 2007, even though wages are up just 13% in cash terms, according to official figures that come amid demands from campaign group Generation Rent for an overhaul of Britain's creaking private rental market. The Deposit Protection Service (DPS), a goverment-authorised body that looks after £900m in deposits on behalf of 390,000 landlords and many more tenants, said that since it began operating in 2007, the average deposit has risen from £600 to £900, with landlords typically demanding six weeks' rent rather than the traditional one-month deposit. Yet over the same period, average earnings in the UK have grown from just £457.60 to £517.50 a week, with almost no real growth once inflation is taken into account. "We have also seen the average deposit amount increase from approximately £600 in 2007 to nearly £900 in 2013. Clearly rents have risen over the years which will obviously impact

Where to find real estate deals JUNE 17, 2014 BY ABIODUN DOHERTY Opportunities often locate those who know where to look for them and what to do with them. Real estate investment is no different. It is very rare for opportunities to fall into the hand of the unprepared but that is not impossible. However, when opportunities come to the unprepared, they are often wasted. Real estate investment is about locating the investment that is good for you and will return you a profit. It requires focus, dedication and serious hard work. In this regard, working smart is better than working hard. It is better to go to where the fishes are than to swim in unprofitable waters. To be successful in real estate investment, you need to know where to find good deals and what to do with them. One of the easiest places to find good deals is at the land bureau of the various state governments and the federal ministry dealing with land and housing matters. It’s amazing how often we miss ou

The Land Registry has announced that it is making it easier to register a property in England and Wales. It is to become the sole registering authority for Local Land Charges (LLC) in England and Wales, leading to a standardised national fee for the first time and an end to the existing ‘postcode lottery’. It said that the changes will also lead to an improved, standardised and digital service and will result in better access to property information and a more streamlined conveyancing process. Preparatory work will begin from April 2015 for a phased migration of the LLC service to begin later that year.  The announcement was made as Land Registry unveiled the results of its consultation into extending its powers and assuming statutory responsibility for a digitised LLC register for England and Wales. ‘The proposals will provide a one stop shop digital LLC search service, which will improve and standardise the service through faster turnaround times. This is consistent