BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 102

Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland estimates containing data to wave 102


Latest main findings for businesses with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland

  • in Wave 102, 24.5% of applicable businesses reported difficulties in recruiting employees in January 2024 - down from 28.5% in Wave 100 and the lowest percentage reported since the question was introduced in April 2022
  • in Wave 102, the highest rates of recruitment difficulties were reported by businesses in the Construction (31.4%) and Manufacturing sectors (29.0%)
  • in Wave 102, 24.5% of businesses reported that the prices of materials, goods or services bought in January 2024 had increased compared with December 2023
  • in Wave 102, the industry sector with the highest proportion of businesses reporting increases in the prices of materials, goods and services bought was Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (34.8%)
  • in Wave 102, 27.5% of businesses reported that their turnover had decreased in January 2024 compared to the previous calendar month - rising to 48.1% of businesses in Accommodation & Food Services
  • overall, an estimated 21.9% of businesses reported that their turnover had increased in January 2024 compared to the previous calendar month
  • in Wave 102, 37.0% of businesses thought their performance would increase over the next 12 months. 7.6% expected performance to decrease
  • the main concerns for businesses for March 2024 were energy prices (13.4%), falling demand of goods and services (12.6%), and inflation (11.0%). An estimated 16.5% of businesses reported having no concerns
  • overall, an estimated 15.0% of businesses reported that they both exported and imported in January 2024, whilst 2.2% of businesses exported only and 5.8% of businesses imported only

Contact

For enquiries about this publication please contact:

Marina Curran

Business & Innovation Statistics

Office of the Chief Economic Adviser

e-mail: industrystatistics@gov.scot

 

For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:

Office of the Chief Statistician

e-mail: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot

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