Repercussions from the Chancellor's planned rise in employers' National Insurance contributions are becoming clearer, with Tesco for example announcing last week that the rise would cost it £1bn over four years. Tesco is a very large employer of course, but the Chancellor's assertion that the rise would have little or no impact on small business owners because of the included protections have also been challenged: insight from the Global Payroll Association reveals that more than a quarter of SMEs are considering a reduction in staff numbers as a result of the National Insurance changes. And 42% said they would be less inclined to increase their workforce. The hope will be that many businesses will look at other ways to reduce their costs – and technologies that streamline processes and maximise efficiency will have a key role to play.