Commenting on ONS Labour Market statistics for April 2021 published today, BCC Head of Economics, Suren Thiru, said: “The latest data confirms that the UK labour market remains subdued. While there was a marginal fall in the unemployment rate, the squeeze on activity from ongoing restrictions helped drive a decline in payroll employment in March. “Unemployment...
Balance of manufacturers expecting their prices to increase highest since Q4 2017 87% of production & manufacturing firms cited pressure to raise prices from raw material costs Overall, 38% of firms expect prices to rise in the next quarter, while only 5% expect prices...
Commenting on GDP figures for February 2021 published today by the ONS, BCC Head of Economics, Suren Thiru, said: “The latest data confirms a modest return to growth in February. However, coming after a contraction in January, it does little to alter the prospect of a downbeat...
Balance of UK firms reporting increased export sales drops, despite already being at historically low levels. Hospitality firms, caterers, retailers and wholesalers all most likely to report decreased sales. Advance bookings and export orders show no signs of improvement, indicating that recovery is distant The British Chambers of Commerce’s Trade Confidence Outlook for Q1, released today, has revealed the stark issues...
The British Chambers of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) – the UK’s largest independent survey of business sentiment and a leading indicator of UK GDP growth – found that business conditions remained historically poor in the first quarter of 2021 as the third lockdown severely limited activity. However, the bellwether survey of 6,103 firms, who employ almost...
The British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with moneycorp, surveyed more than 1,000 UK firms to understand the impact of both Covid-19 and Brexit on UK businesses. As Europe still comes to terms with a new post-Brexit landscape, many businesses are now evaluating what the...
