Scottish firms plan to invest and employ more people in the new year, according the latest instalment of the Federation of Small Businesses’ Voice of Small Business Index.
The body’s study, published today, shows how business confidence has climbed “much higher” than during the same period in any of the previous three years.
The survey also found the number of companies which plan to hire over the next three months was greater than those who plan to reduce their headcounts, while more than a quarter are looking ahead to an increase in capital expenditure.
“Next year will be a big year for many Scottish small business owners, not because of political landmarks or sporting events, but because they plan to take their enterprise to the next level” said FSB Scottish policy convenor Andy Willox.
“Our index shows firms are looking to grow in 2014 and that, year-on-year, Scottish small business confidence is much higher than it has been since we started collecting comparable data in 2010.
“If Scotland is going to make the most of the recovery, we need to ensure that businesses determined to grow are backed by our banks and enterprise agencies.
“Further, too many firms highlight a difficulty hiring people with the right skills for the modern workplace.
“If we’re going to get more people back to work while growing our businesses, the country’s educational decision-makers need to do more to boost work readiness.”
The FSB also found what it called an “encouraging” increase in profit margins, boosted by climbing revenues at 29% of the small firms surveyed.
But it also showed how two in five firms still believe credit affordability to be either poor or very poor, with slow consumer demand and the domestic economy holding many back.