BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 101

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

• in the period 22 January to 4 February 2024 (Wave 101), 20.9% of businesses reported experiencing a shortage of workers – down from 25.3% in Wave 99 and the lowest percentage reported since the question was introduced in October 2021
• in Wave 101, the industry sector with the highest rate of worker shortages was Construction (29.6%)
• in Wave 101, 59.5% of businesses reported that the shortage of workers has resulted in employees working increased hours
• of businesses currently trading that have exported in the last 12 months, 19.2% reported exporting less in December 2023 compared to December 2022, and 14.2% reported exporting more
• of businesses currently trading that have imported in the last 12 months, 13.5% reported importing less in December 2023 compared to December 2022, and 10.5% reported importing more
• the exporting and importing challenge that was most commonly reported to have increased in December 2023 was change in transportation costs – this was the case for both exporting and importing