Publication - Statistics
Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 157): 11 June 2026
Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland data up to survey period 18 May to 31 May 2026 (Wave 157). 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 May 2026, 65.2% of businesses reported that their staffing costs had increased over the last three months; this is up from 39.0% in February 2026, but down from 77.1% in May 2025
- an estimated 10.9% of businesses are using or intend to use increased homeworking as a permanent business model, rising to 35.7% in the Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector and 36.7% of businesses in the Information & Communication sector
- in May 2026, 49.2% of businesses reported they had some form of concern about their supply chains over the next 12 months; down from 57.9% in April 2026
- the top supply chain concern for businesses was international conflict (33.8%), followed by shipping disruption (24.8%)
- an estimated 75.8% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about energy prices, with this share rising to 95.5% for businesses in the Transport & Storage sector
- an estimated 74.5% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about increases in fuel prices, with this share rising to 91.3% for businesses in the Construction sector and 96.2% for businesses in the Transport & Storage sector
Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 158, is scheduled for release on Thursday 25 June 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