10 Barometer stats that caught our eye
Our colleagues at Close Brothers Asset Finance frequently survey members of the UK’s small and medium sized business enterprises on a wide range of topics, from their thoughts on the cost of doing business to the impact of Brexit.
Following the release of their latest SME research, we picked out 10 stats that caught our eye…
- Energy costs, supply of materials / stock, and fuel cost rises have had the most impact on businesses’ income
- Achieving growth is the main concern for a third of businesses
- 55% of firms have noticed a disruption in supply of materials as a result of the war in Ukraine
- Two thirds of UK SMEs have been negatively impacted by rising inflation
- 55% plan to raise wages to help their employees keep pace with the cost of inflation
- 37% of businesses have been affected by industrial action, with delays in supplies and staff absence the biggest impacts
- 60% of business owners believe taking out funding to protect cashflow is a good business strategy
- Brexit is negatively impacting three quarters of SMEs’ ability to trade
- 65% of business owners are expecting to invest in technology in the next three years
- The top 5 things businesses would spend funding on are:
- Investment in new assets
- Employing additional staff
- Protecting cashflow
- Stockpiling supplies
- Paying overheads
