Scottish small businesses not impressed with Boris Johnson as long recovery from Covid predicted

Just a fifth of Scottish small business owners feel that the Prime Minister is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis effectively, compared to almost half nationally across the UK, according to a new study.

Just a fifth of Scottish small business owners feel that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis effectively, according to the Newable survey. Picture: Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Other than the pandemic, 57 per cent of Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) stated that fallout from Brexit is the biggest challenge facing UK SMEs today – a concern shared by firms nationwide, according to the latest Newable Small Business Confidence Index.

The survey by the workspace provider reveals that 40 per cent of Scottish SMEs are experiencing drops in revenue, compared to 49 per cent across the UK.

Just over 70 per cent of Scottish SMEs believe that it will take more than 24 months to recover financially from the pandemic.

Despite 57 per cent of Scottish SME leaders stating that they like working from home, only 31 per cent would like to work full time at home, with an equal percentage stating they would like part time home and office working.

Some 81 per cent of SMEs have seen no change or any rise in productivity since working from home.

Chris Manson, chief executive of Newable, said: “It is comforting to see Scottish SMEs are starting to show some signs of recovery in respect to revenues, however it is clear that Scottish SMEs have been hit hard by this ongoing crisis.

“Whilst the pandemic continues to take up most of the current debate, it clear that Scottish SMEs are fearing the fallout of Brexit and more needs to be done to ensure SMEs are supported during the transition.”

The index reflects the views of just over 1,000 small businesses across a wide variety of sectors including marketing, PR, financial services, travel and recruitment.

Manson added: “There is no doubt the pandemic has changed the world of work forever. It is interesting to see how many Scottish SMEs actually do crave an office environment, but want flexibility to create an office and home working mix that works for them.

“There will always be a need for human interaction and team collaboration through using an office, but it is good to see the increase in productivity generated through home-working as we fight through this second lockdown.”

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