The headline is via Reuters and based on surveys from the BCC and Deloitte

(British Chambers of Commerce, Deloitte is an accountancy firm)

BCC survey:

  • quarterly survey of 5,600 companies
  • percentage of services businesses looking to recruit more staff over the next three months fell to 47 from 60%, the lowest since the first quarter of 1993
  • 72% of firms reported recruitment difficulties, the highest on record
  • For manufacturers, growth in both export sales and new export orders was the slowest since the end of 2016
  • investment plans scaled back
  • "These figures reinforce what we are hearing from businesses up and down the country -- the uncertainty over Brexit, and the lack of bold moves to boost business at home, are starting to bite," BCC director general Adam Marshall said.

Deloitte survey of chief financial officers

  • 13% of CFOs were more optimistic about the prospects for their company than they were three months ago, down from 24% in July
  • 79% said they expected the long-term business environment to be worse as a result of leaving the EU, the highest share since the 2016 Brexit vote
  • David Sproul, chief executive of Deloitte North West Europe, said confidence could recover if Britain secured a Brexit deal. "A deal with a sensible transition period would remove the uncertainty and should deliver a real boost to business spirits,"

More at the Reuters article here