Introduction According to the CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey 2026, only 15% of UK businesses are confident about hiring new staff, down from 24% in 2025. It is the case that high labour costs are the number 1 threat to competitiveness in the UK labour market, according to 73% of businesses surveyed. UK employment regulations are … Read more
Introduction According to a 2026 survey from PwC, 84% of business security and finance professionals expect their cybersecurity spending to increase over the next 12 months, this is up from 78% last year. A total of 58% have cited AI as their top cyber budgeting priority. This includes deploying autonomous AI agents to support security … Read more
Introduction According to the latest Arcadis Construction Industry Trends and Market View for Q2 2026, UK industrial construction activity fell by 4.3% in Q1 of 2026 compared with Q4 of 2025 and also fell by 8% year-on-year. For construction in the commercial sector, activity increased by 1.6% quarter-on-quarter but fell by 5.1% year-on year. The … Read more
Introduction According to a 2026 report titled From Crisis to Stability: A Future Energy System for Manufacturers from Make UK, high industrial energy costs could cost the UK up to £85bn per year in economic output from reduced manufacturing activity. Manufacturers have warned that unless urgent action is taken on continued high energy costs for … Read more
Introduction According to the 2026 SME Insights Report by Simply Business, 65% of business owners stated that frequent political policy shifts in the UK have directly impacted their long term business strategies. Around 48% of respondents cited that an unpredictable economy and financial uncertainties are their primary hurdles to growth in 2026, up from 32% … Read more
Introduction According to Simply Business’s 2026 SME Insights Report, 47% of UK businesses are now using AI tools in their operations, up from 22% in 2025. An additional 13% of businesses surveyed are planning to start using AI over the next 12 months. What Are The Main Ways SMEs Are Adopting AI? The most popular … Read more
Introduction According to an August 2026 report from RICS on the Use of AI in the commercial property and construction sector, over 75% of commercial property professionals who were surveyed worldwide are using AI in some form across their workflows. It is also the case that 66% of construction industry professionals now use AI in … Read more
Introduction According to a 2026 study by the Lancaster University Work Foundation, around 36% of employers have reduced the number of entry level jobs available to 16-24 year olds over the last 12 months. The rate is higher in medium sized employers (48%) and large employers (46%) than in smaller employers (24%) who are still … Read more
When the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) came to an end in March 2026, there was considerable uncertainty about what would happen to local council business grants. Many council-funded schemes closed earlier this year, leaving businesses with fewer local funding opportunities and questions about where the next wave of support would come from. Four months … Read more
Introduction According to the Barclays’ Q1 2026 Business Prosperity Index, UK businesses are increasing spending on cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and automation activities, with cyber, AI and cloud technology making up 44% of planned technology budgets over the next 12 months. Around 46% of companies are concerned that their rapid adoption of other technology areas for … Read more