BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 94

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

• in the period 16 October to 29 October 2023 (Wave 94), 25.4% of businesses reported experiencing a shortage of workers – down from 31.5% in the previous wave and the lowest percentage reported since the question was introduced in October 2021
• in Wave 94, the industry sectors with the highest rates of worker shortages were Construction (38.7%) and Accommodation & Food Services (37.9%)
• the main concerns for businesses for November 2023 were energy prices (21.8%), falling demand (14.0%) and inflation of goods and services prices (12.3%)
• of businesses currently trading that have exported in the last 12 months, 19.1% reported exporting more in September 2023 compared to September 2022, and 17.4% reported exporting less
• the exporting and importing challenges that were most commonly reported to have increased in September 2023 were change in transportation costs and additional paperwork – this was the case for both exporting and importing