BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 102

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

• in Wave 102, 24.5% of applicable businesses reported difficulties in recruiting employees in January 2024 - down from 28.5% in Wave 100 and the lowest percentage reported since the question was introduced in April 2022
• in Wave 102, the highest rates of recruitment difficulties were reported by businesses in the Construction (31.4%) and Manufacturing sectors (29.0%)
• in Wave 102, 24.5% of businesses reported that the prices of materials, goods or services bought in January 2024 had increased compared with December 2023
• in Wave 102, the industry sector with the highest proportion of businesses reporting increases in the prices of materials, goods and services bought was Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (34.8%)
• in Wave 102, 27.5% of businesses reported that their turnover had decreased in January 2024 compared to the previous calendar month - rising to 48.1% of businesses in Accommodation & Food Services
• overall, an estimated 21.9% of businesses reported that their turnover had increased in January 2024 compared to the previous calendar month
• in Wave 102, 37.0% of businesses thought their performance would increase over the next 12 months. 7.6% expected performance to decrease
• the main concerns for businesses for March 2024 were energy prices (13.4%), falling demand of goods and services (12.6%), and inflation (11.0%). An estimated 16.5% of businesses reported having no concerns
• overall, an estimated 15.0% of businesses reported that they both exported and imported in January 2024, whilst 2.2% of businesses exported only and 5.8% of businesses imported only