Small Business Survey Scotland: 2021

COVID-19

Type of non-domestic rates relief received

In 2021, the most common type of rates relief received by SMEs in 2021 was the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) at 39 per cent, while the second most common response to this section of the survey was ‘none of these’ (31 per cent). These responses are broadly in line with the previous year.

Figure 22: Type of non-domestic rates relief received

Base: all SME employers with separate business premises, 560

Amount of non-domestic rates relief received

Of SMEs in Scotland in 2021 who received SBBS relief, a large majority received relief of between 91 per cent to 100 per cent, at over two thirds (67 per cent). This is slightly higher than the previous year, in which 58 per cent of SMEs who received SBBS funding obtained relief at between 91 and 100 per cent. A relatively high number of SMEs didn’t know how much SBBS relief they received, at 16 per cent, which is broadly in line with the previous year.

Figure 23: Amount of non-domestic rates relief received

Base: all SME employers that receive SBBS relief, 175

Don’t know/Refused; 17%

Selling online due to the COVID-19 pandemic – Cohort C

Of SMEs that use e-commerce technologies to sell to customers, 22 per cent began selling online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure has more than doubled since the previous year’s survey (10 per cent) and is also higher than the UK figure (12 per cent).

Figure 24: Whether began selling goods online due to the pandemic

Base: all SME employers in cohort C that use technologies to sell to customers, 76

Don’t know/Refused; 3%

To what extent the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has been a factor in the reduction of staff

The share of firms who have reduced their staff count over the year preceding the survey who attribute this reduction mainly to Covid-19 was 24 per cent. Whilst this appears higher than the UK figure of 32 per cent, this was not found to be statistically significant. This figure was also significantly lower than in the previous year’s survey, which stood at 42 per cent.

Figure 25: To what extent the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has been a factor in the reduction of staff

Base: All SME Employers that had more staff in the previous year, 140

Don’t know; 5%