Publication - Statistics
Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 146): 19 December 2025
Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland data up to survey period 1 December to 14 December 2025 (Wave 146). The BICS provides statistics on how current conditions are affecting businesses in Scotland, including impact on financial performance, workforce, trade and resilience.
Key points for businesses with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland:
- the top concern for businesses for January 2026 was falling demand of goods and services (16.3%); although an estimated 17.7% of businesses had no concerns
- for an estimated 16.5% of businesses the prices of goods or services bought in November 2025 increased compared with October 2025, and 9.2% increased the prices of goods and services they sold
- an estimated 22.9% of businesses were expecting to increase the prices of goods or services sold in January 2026; labour costs was the top factor for businesses considering price increases (reported by 40.2%)
- between October and November 2025, turnover decreased for an estimated 28.1% of businesses; with the Accommodation & Food Services sector having the highest share experiencing a fall (46.5%)
- in December 2025, an estimated 30.3% of businesses expected their business performance to increase over the next 12 months; an estimated 8.7% of businesses expected performance to decrease
Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 147, is scheduled for release on Thursday 15 January 2026.
Contact
For enquiries about this publication please contact:
Marina Curran
Business & Innovation Statistics
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
email: industrystatistics@gov.scot
For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:
Office of the Chief Statistician
email: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot