Publication - Statistics
Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 153): 2 April 2026
Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland data up to survey period 16 March to 29 March 2026 (Wave 153). 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:
- in March 2026, 52.0% of businesses reported they had some form of concern about their supply chains over the next 12 months; up from 30.2% in December 2025
- the top supply chain concern for businesses was international conflict (41.9%), followed by shipping disruption (19.7%)
- an estimated 76.2% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about energy prices, with this share rising to 89.8% for businesses in the Transport & Storage sector and 91.3% for businesses in the Accommodation & Food Services sector
- an estimated 45.7% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about the impact of climate change on their business, up from the share reported in December 2025 (42.1%) but down on previous years
- an estimated 30.2% of businesses were using some form of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with the Information & Communication sector having the highest share (63.9%)
- an estimated 13.1% of businesses were impacted by US tariffs in the last month, with this share rising to 32.0% for goods exporters
Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 154, is scheduled for release on Thursday 30 April 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