Podcasts presented by Simon Rose

Self-employment is changing the face of the labour market. Figure released today by the Office for National Statistics found that unemployment in the UK fell slightly to 1.6 million in the three months to October, meaning that the rate of unemployment held steady at 4.8% in the period, remaining at an 11-year low. The trend for more people becoming self-employmed has also continued. The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed says the number of people classed as self-employed has increased by 129,000 to 4.75 million in the three months to November. To discuss the figures, and the growth of self-employment, Simon Rose was joined on the line by Lorence Nye, an economic adviser at IPSE.

European IPO markets are expected to have raised 28bn Euros in 2016. This year has seen a number of political shocks which have contributed to the IPO market ending the year on a subdued note, with total annual proceeds down by approximately a half on 2015. But will the IPO market remain open, with liquidity available for the right companies at the right price? Simon spoke to Lucy Tarleton, director at PwC.

As part of our series with financial journalist and author Rodney Hobson, we look at ponzi schemes.

A quarter of us have fallen victim to a scam. This is according to new research released by Santander, showing that 13 million of us have been targeted, losing on average £438 - amounting to losses of almost £11 billion to the UK economy. So why are so many of us falling victim? Olivia Demetriades spoke to Paul Wilson, TV presenter and star of The Real Hustle.

Recently prpl Foundation unveiled its global study on the use of smart devices- the first research of its kind. "The prpl Foundation Smart Home Security Report" found that while there was more adoption of smart devices people were failing to secure their smart home. To find out more about this Jinan Rahma spoke to Cesare Garlati, chief security strategist for the prpl Foundation and began by asking whether the smart home was a thing of the future.

Simon Rose is joined live in the studio by Rishi Patel of FTI Consulting to discuss: Hammond calls for transitional and soft Brexit arrangement. Would a hard Brexit lead to economic hardship? With the rail strike and Post Office strikes are we entering a new Winter of Discontent? The Government is looking at increasing council tax to help pay for social care. Will this be sufficient and will it lead to inequality? Oxford students trying to get rid of "he" and "she" and replace it with the gender neutral "ze". Political correctness gone mad?

Every week on the AIM Show we meet interesting people behind companies listed on the junior stock market. This week, Glen Goodman spoke to Russ Singleton, the CEO of 21st Century Technology - a provider of tailored solutions to the transport community.

Many consumer-facing businesses will be hoping for a bumper festive season as the annual spending frenzy builds towards Christmas Day and the Boxing Day sales. The UK has the highest level of household spending in Europe, with an annual expenditure of £50,000. This compares to £41,000 in Ireland and £35,000 in France. And, most importantly for retailers, discretionary spending - money spent on non-essentials - is also the highest in Europe. Simon was joined by Barret Kupelain, senior economist at PwC.

Inflation has hit its highest level for more than 2 years, driven by a sharp rise in the cost of clothes. The latest monthly figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the main measure of inflation, the consumer prices index, hit 1.2% in November, up from 0.9% in October. The retail prices index, which includes the cost of housing, rose to 2.2% in November, up from 2% the previous month. Simon spoke to Pete Comley, inflation expert and author of Inflation Matters.

Gadgets and Gizmos with Share Radio's technology editor Steve Caplin.