BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 90

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

• in the period 21 August to 3 September 2023 (Wave 90), 33.0% of businesses reported experiencing a shortage of workers - rising to 48.0% in the Accommodation & Food Services industry sector, and 44.1% in the Construction industry sector
• in Wave 90, 63.5% of businesses reported that the shortage of workers has resulted in employees working increased hours
• the main concerns for businesses for September 2023 were energy prices (21.7%) and inflation of goods and services prices (16.5%)
• of businesses currently trading that have exported in the last 12 months, 17.1% reported exporting more in July 2023 compared to July 2022, and 16.7% reported exporting less
• the exporting and importing challenges that were most commonly reported to have increased in July 2023 were changes in transportation costs, changes in exchange rates and additional paperwork– this was the case for both exporting and importing