BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 124

Business Concerns

In the period 6 January to 19 January 2025, the BICS asked businesses about their main concerns for February 2025.

Business concern question: Which of the following, if any, will be the main concern for your business in February 2025?

• business rates
• competition with other UK businesses
• energy prices
• exchange rates
• inflation of goods and services prices
• interest rates (including mortgages)
• property rental costs
• supply chain disruption
• taxation
• falling demand of goods and services
• other
• not sure
• no concerns for my business

Figure 2: The main concerns for businesses for February 2025 were falling demand of goods and services (16.7%) and taxation (15.4%). An estimated 18.4% of businesses had no concerns.

Estimated share of businesses by main concern for February 2025. Businesses not permanently stopped trading, with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland. Wave 124.

Source: BICS weighted Scotland estimates - data to Wave 124 from the Scottish Government. For Figure 2 data see table ‘BusinessConcern’.

Small to medium sized businesses (10 to 249 employees) were more likely to be concerned about taxation than large businesses (250+ employees). Taxation was the main concern for 16.4% of small to medium sized businesses, compared to 5.8% of large businesses.