Introduction According to the Q2 2026 Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Quantum Development Finance (QDF) SME Developer Sentiment Survey, there has been a significant decrease in confidence from SME builders when compared with Q1 of 2026 where there was a reserved but optimistic outlook. Headline figures show that 32% of property developers planned to increase … Read more
Introduction According to the latest research from the Indeed Hiring Lab, UK online job postings were down by 5% month on month in June 2026 and down by 13% year on year. This trend signifies that hiring activity in the UK by employers is continuing to go on a downward trend and job postings are … Read more
Introduction According to a new survey from Make UK, The Manufacturers Organisation, only 2% of UK manufacturers state that AI has been widely embedded across their operations. Around 40% of manufacturers are only using AI in a few areas and 20% have not adopted any AI at all. It is believed that major productivity gains … Read more
Introduction According to the UK Commercial Property Monitor For Q1 2026 from RICS, demand for commercial space by tenant businesses for all property types in the UK had a net balance of ‑8%, compared with -9% in Q4 of 2025, showing a continued declining trend due to tough economic conditions. Office space demand was considered … Read more
Introduction According to the BSI 2026 Net Zero Barometer Report, 82% of UK businesses surveyed have committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and 81% are currently in the process of taking action to move toward meeting these goals. A total of 37% of businesses have identified that improving energy efficiency within their business is … Read more
Introduction According to the latest British Chambers of Commerce Economic Forecast published in June 2026, UK GDP is forecast to grow by 0.9% in 2026, followed by 1.0% in 2027 and 1.3% in 2028. In terms of individual sector forecasts, services have a predicted year-on-year growth of 1.3% in 2026, manufacturing will increase by 0.8%. … Read more
Introduction According to the International Innovation Barometer 2026 published by the Ayming Institute, which examines the views of innovation leaders across 17 countries and six sectors, 96% of businesses questioned now report having a dedicated innovation team, which is up from 78% last year. This increase has spanned across businesses of all sizes, with only … Read more
Introduction According to a May 2026 survey by Octane Capital property developer confidence fell in Q1 of 2026, with just 35% of developers surveyed believing that UK property market conditions will improve in 2026. This figure is down from 67% in Q4 of 2025, a decrease of almost a third. Plans to progress on or … Read more
Introduction According to the latest REC and KPMG UK Report on Jobs for May 2026, permanent staff placements rates fell to 47.5 in April 2026, down from 49.2 in March. In terms of the index 50.0 represents no growth, above 50.0 means there has been growth and any figure below 50.0 represents a decline in … Read more
Introduction According to recent analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), among the G7 countries the UK is ranked 6th in terms of investment from private businesses at a rate of 11.1% of GDP, with only Canada ranking lower in the group. For comparison, Japan sees businesses invest 18.2% of GDP and France … Read more