BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 61

Exporting and Importing Challenges

The BICS asks businesses that are currently trading about how current conditions, including the end of the EU transition period, have impacted on their exporting and importing – the specific questions asked are shown below.

Question: How did your business's exporting compare with this calendar month last year?

• exported/imported more
• exporting/importing stayed the same
• exported/imported less
• business was unable to export / import
• not sure

Figure 5: Of businesses currently trading that have exported in the last 12 months, almost a quarter (23.1%) reported exporting less in June 2022 compared to June 2021, and 18.6% reported importing less.

 Source: Office for National Statistics – BICS – Weighted Scotland Estimates – Wave 61

The proportion of businesses reporting that they exported less compared to the same calendar month last year has increased since March 2022 (11.0% in Wave 54 compared to 23.1% in Wave 61). Businesses reporting that they imported less has also increased during this period (8.5% in Wave 54 compared to 18.6% in Wave 61). 

In the latest period, around half of exporters (49.6%) and importers (51.3%) reported their exporting/importing had stayed the same. The proportion of businesses reporting that exports/imports have stayed the same has generally decreased since March 2022 (Wave 54).

Currently trading businesses that have exported or imported in the last 12 months, and who reported on their exporting or importing in the past month, were asked if they had experienced an increase in exporting/importing challenges.

Figure 6: Around half (48.7%) of exporters and 37.2% of importers reported that they did not experience an increase in exporting/importing challenges in June 2022 compared with May 2022. However, transportation costs, additional paperwork and customs duties/levies persist as the top three challenges experienced by exporters and importers. 

Source: Office for National Statistics – BICS – Weighted Scotland Estimates – Wave 61

Businesses that reported challenges to exporting/importing were asked about the main cause of these exporting/importing challenges.

Figure 7: Around half (50.5%) of businesses reported that the end of the EU transition period was the main cause of their exporting and importing challenges.

Source: Office for National Statistics – BICS – Weighted Scotland Estimates – Wave 61

A further 30.0% of exporters and 26.6% of importers reported that COVID-19 combined with the end of the EU transition period was the main cause of these challenges.