BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 96

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

• in the period 13 November to 26 November 2023 (Wave 96), 27.7% of businesses reported experiencing a shortage of workers – up from 25.4% in the previous wave
• in Wave 96, the industry sectors with the highest rates of worker shortages were Construction (39.0%) and Accommodation & Food Services (31.1%)
• in Wave 96, 52.5% of businesses reported that the shortage of workers has resulted in employees working increased hours
• in the period 13 November to 26 November 2023, the share of businesses that were using or intended to use increased homeworking as a permanent business model was highest in the Information & Communication (56.2%) and Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (42.3%) sectors
• improved staff wellbeing was the most commonly reported reason for using increased homeworking as a permanent businesses model going forward - this was reported by 87.4% of relevant businesses in Wave 96
• homeworking not being suitable for the business was the most commonly reported reason for not using increased homeworking as a permanent businesses model going forward - this was reported by 79.6% of relevant businesses in Wave 96
• of businesses currently trading that have exported in the last 12 months, 16.8% reported exporting more in October 2023 compared to October 2022, and 16.6% reported exporting less
• the exporting and importing challenges that were most commonly reported to have increased in October 2023 were changes in exchange rates, changes in transportation costs and additional paperwork – this was the case for both exporting and importing