Wednesday newspaper round-up: BBC jobs, gig economy, Apple

The BBC is expected to announce hundreds of redundancies today, as staff brace themselves for heavy cuts to high-profile news programmes and an increasingly centralised system for producing the corporation’s journalism. In an email to staff, Fran Unsworth, head of news, said she will use an all-staff meeting to explain how the corporation will put the BBC News mission statement of being “distinctive, trusted, engaging everyone, every day” into action. – Guardian

Far from providing flexible jobs for complex modern lives, gig economy companies, such as Uber and Deliveroo, increasingly trap workers in a precarious existence where they need to devote ever-more time to the platform in order to remain financially stable, a new report argues. Based on research and collaboration with a group of gig workers, the report by digital thinktank Doteveryone argues that the spiral can be reversed by government action – or by the platforms themselves adopting changes, which could be implemented rapidly.- Guardian

Apple has recorded its biggest ever quarterly profit as America’s largest listed company defied forecasts that iPhone sales would fall. Revenues from the iPhone rose by 8pc in the final three months of 2019 to $56bn (£43bn), Apple said. Combined with growing sales of accessories such as the Apple Watch and AirPod earphones, as well as digital services such as the App Store and Apple Music, revenues climbed to $91.8bn, a record for the company. – Telegraph

Companies have grown more confident about taking on workers since the election because the lingering political uncertainty of last year has cleared, a survey of recruiters has found. Sentiment about the economy and hiring improved in December after the Conservatives’ victory, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. – The Times