A long-running survey is to measure confidence among companies in the North-east of Scotland following a pivotal period of economic change.
The Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) – which is run by law firm Gilson Gray and Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce – seeks to gauge how businesses in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are faring.
This edition of the survey is being launched as firms face up to the impact of the UK Budget, as well as Donald Trump's US election victory.
The survey asks businesses if they have seen an increase, decrease or no change in a series of metrics, such as sales and cash flow.
It will also seek to shed light on issues companies in the region may be having with getting paid for their goods or services as customers continue to wrestle with cost increases, high interest rates and political and economic uncertainty.
Rachel Reeves’ first Budget introduced significant reforms, including tighter inheritance tax measures and freezes on existing thresholds, which could reshape financial planning for UK enterprises.
Additionally, the result of the US election has introduced fresh dynamics for the UK’s international trade relationships, prompting questions about the global economic landscape and the continuity of US-UK trade.
As well as giving a regional picture, the North-east data gathered will also be fed into a national version of the report, run by the British Chambers of Commerce, which is the largest and most representative independent business survey of its kind in the UK.
Its findings are closely watched by policymakers such as the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Office of Budget Responsibility.
The last edition of the survey, published in October, showed that concerns over tax are preying on the minds of North-east businesses.
It showed that concerns over taxation had rocketed up the risk register for firms in the region – with 61% of companies in the North-east citing this as a barrier to growth, up from 48% earlier in the year.
Click here to read the last report.