BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 120

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

• in November 2024, an estimated 23.9% of businesses experienced a shortage of workers
• the industry sector with the highest proportion of businesses experiencing a shortage of workers was Transport & Storage (32.9%), followed by Administrative & Support Service Activities (31.0%)
• the main concern for businesses for December 2024 was falling demand of goods and services (16.0%), followed by taxation (11.9%) - although 17.3% of businesses had no concerns
• for an estimated 16.1% of businesses the prices of materials, goods or services bought in October 2024 had increased compared with September 2024; 6.9% of businesses had increased the prices of goods and services they sold over the same period
• an estimated 26.3% of businesses saw a reduction in their turnover in October 2024 compared to the previous calendar month; with 35.7% citing the cost of labour as a challenge impacting turnover
• turnover in October 2024 increased for an estimated 25.1% of businesses, up from 21.0% that saw increased turnover in September 2024
• in November 2024, 30.9% of businesses thought their performance would increase over the next 12 months, the lowest percentage expecting an increase since November 2022