CHRISTMAS has come and gone, you have collected all your gift cards, decided you will exchange that gift from your crazy aunt, and you still have your eye on that special item that wasn’t under your tree this year, so what is left to do?

Shop the after-Christmas sales.

Now the New Year is here, but for me, it doesn’t have the same feeling to it as Christmas. For me Christmas conjures up images of spending quality time with the family, good tidings and presents. New Year is associated with awkwardly looking for a kiss at midnight, having one too many and making new year resolutions, which I do every year and then break them every year.

The announcements before the New Year of recent job gains and record heights in the stock market are signs that the UK economy is strengthening, leading many economists to believe job growth will continue into 2014.

The job outlook should come as welcome news to Dorset. Unfortunately those workers who possess the skills are hard to find. The majority of jobs available are relatively low-wage sectors like retail, leisure and hospitality. My main concern are those young graduates who aren’t utilising their degrees and it’s up to our local businesses to invest more in training our young students. We need skills for our growth and prosperity for the coming years.

On a personal note I am very much looking forward to 2014. The one ingredient missing over the last few years with the pain of the recession has been confidence and I do believe if we achieve that it will lift everyone’s spirits for the new year.

Quote for 2014, which I was told by one of my customers: “Telling people that they need a mobile strategy was useful in 2012 or 2013.

“In 2014, it is like telling them that they need a website.”