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The economy of France continues to suffer as the eurozone crisis continues. Following a deep contraction in 2009, the economy recovered robustly, posting seven consecutive quarters of expansion. However, France has stagnated over the past two years as problems in southern Europe intensified, with growth slowing as unemployment and government debt rise.

Last week, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released their annual World of Work report. It contains some stark warnings, particularly for mature economies where it does not expect employment levels to return to pre-crisis levels before 2017. Getting people back into work, the report says, will be a “major global challenge” for years to come and the threat of “social unrest” a major risk.

There was much cause for optimism in our annual look at women in business through the International Business Report (IBR). The survey reveals that the proportion of women in senior management roles has climbed to 24% (up from 21% in 2012), back up to levels seen before the financial crisis.

Welcome to the third edition of Transfer Pricing News. This provides updates on transfer pricing developments from a number of countries across the globe – a necessity in the global economy we all now inhabit.

I confess to being somewhat surprised when I first saw the most recent data from our International Business Report (IBR), revealing that the number one recruitment challenge for business leaders is a lack of key technical skills in candidates.

The past 12 months have seen women take the lead in some of the toughest economic and political environments, and they also head governments in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Thailand.