Business Intelligence

The Chief Economist Unit collects business intelligence to inform Yorkshire Forward staff and our partners about the views and performance of businesses in Yorkshire.

The National Business Survey

The National Business Survey (NBS) is carried out by Ipsos MORI and managed by Yorkshire Forward on behalf of England’s nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Invest Northern Ireland.

It is an essential source of business intelligence for RDAs because it provides timely and relevant information on the latest issues and challenges facing businesses in the regions. It has been an especially useful source of business experiences and expectations during the recession.

The National Business Survey is one of the largest surveys of its kind, canvassing the opinions of over 6000 companies of all sizes across the whole economy twice a year, in spring and autumn.

It covers key economic measures such as business optimism, output, orders, capacity, employment, profitability, prices, costs and investment intentions.

It also provides business-facing teams with information on issues such as staffing, vacancies, training, skills needs, marketing, domestic and export markets, technology, investment and development of new products and processes, and environmental performance.

All data from the past four surveys is available from the National Business Survey Web Portal. For more information and to access the more advanced analytical functions, please contact Lisa Littlefair at Yorkshire Forward on 0113 394 9641.

You can also download the past three surveys using the links below:

Autumn 2009 Survey

Spring 2009 Survey

Autumn 2008 Survey

Business Snapshot Survey

In February 2010, Yorkshire Forward commissioned IFF Research to undertake a telephone survey of around 450 businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber region to understand how the changing economic climate is affecting business confidence and performance. This "Snapshot" survey compliments the more substantial bi-annual National Business Survey.

Snapshot Survey Report  

Purchasing Managers Index

This is a monthly indicator of conditions facing private sector businesses, such as activity, sales, orders, prices, costs and unemployment. Data is available nationally and a report is produced for Yorkshire and Humber. To view this latest summary report, click the below link:

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