Business Insights and Conditions Survey questions: 17 February 2025 to 2 March 2025

These questions are for Wave 127 of the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) dispatched on 17 February 2025.

Which of the following statements best describes your business's trading status?                  

• Currently fully trading   

• Currently partially trading          

• Paused trading but intends to restart in the next two weeks

• Paused trading and does not intend to restart in the next two weeks   

• Permanently ceased trading

Is your business using, or intending to use, increased homeworking as a permanent business model going forward?

• Yes

• No        

• Not sure

• Not applicable  

Why is your business using, or intending to use, increased homeworking as a permanent business model going forward?   

• Ability to better match jobs to skills

• Ability to recruit from a wider geographical pool in the UK

• Ability to recruit from a wider geographical pool internationally

• Improved staff wellbeing

• Increased productivity

• Reduced carbon emissions

• Reduced overheads

• Reduced sickness absence

• Reduced wage bill

• Other

• Not sure            

Why is your business not intending to use increased homeworking as a permanent business model going forward?           

• Concerns with integrating new starters into the workplace

• Costs of employee equipment

• Difficulties managing staff remotely

• Negative impact on working culture

• Not suitable for our business

• Reduced communication

• Reduced productivity

• Reduced reliability and retention of staff

• Security concerns

• Other

• Not sure            

Which, if any, of the following skills has your business had a high demand for in the last 12 months?

• Advanced digital skills

• Basic digital skills

• Customer service skills

• Management or leadership skills

• Manual skills

• Transferable skills

• Other

• None of the above

Which, if any, of the following skills does your workforce require extra support or training in?

• Advanced digital skills

• Basic digital skills

• Customer service skills

• Management or leadership skills

• Manual skills

• Transferable skills

• Other

• None of the above

On average, how did employees' hourly wages in January 2025 compare with employees' hourly wages in the previous calendar month?            

• Wages increased

• Wages stayed the same

• Wages decreased

• Not sure

How have your business's staffing costs changed over the last three months?

• Costs have increased

• Costs have stayed the same

• Costs have decreased

• Not sure

• Not applicable  

How does your business expect staffing costs to change over the next three months?

• Costs will increase

• Costs will stay the same

• Costs will decrease

• Not sure

• Not applicable  

How does your business plan to adapt to any future increases in employment costs?

• Absorb within profit margins

• Increase prices

• Limit overtime hours

• Reduce employee benefits

• Reduce number of employees

• Reduce spending on investment

• Reduce spending on training

• Reduce wage increases for other employees

• Other

• Not sure

• Not applicable

Which of the following challenges, if any, has your business experienced due to a shortage of workers?

• Business had to pause trading entirely

• Business had to recruit temporary workers

• Employees worked increased hours

• Had to pause trading of some of the business

• Unable to meet demands

• Other

• Not sure

• Business has not experienced any challenges due to a shortage of workers     

Which, if any, of the following employees has your business had difficulties recruiting in January 2025?

• Clerical employees

• Professional or managerial employees

• Semi-skilled or unskilled employees

• Skilled, manual or technical employees

• Other

• Not sure

• Business did not experience any difficulties in recruiting employees

Why did your business experience difficulties recruiting employees in January 2025?

• Business cannot offer an attractive pay package to applicants

• Increased number of vacancies

• Lack of qualified applicants for the roles on offer

• Low number of applications for the roles on offer

• Reduced number of applicants aged 16 to 24 years

• Reduced number of applicants aged over 50 years

• Reduced number of EU applicants

• Other

• Not sure

Does your business have a probation policy in place for new employees?

• Yes

• No        

• Not sure            

How long is a typical probationary period for new employees at your business?

• More than 12 months

• 10 to 12 months

• 7 to 9 months

• 4 to 6 months

• 3 months or fewer

• Not sure

Does your business currently employ anyone on any of the following contracts?

• Agency contract

• Casual contract

• Fixed term contract

• Minimum hours contract

• Seasonal contract

• Variable hours contract

• Zero hours contract

• None of the above

Approximately, what percentage of your business's workforce are employed under a variable hours contract?

• More than 75%

• Between 50% and 75%

• Between 25% and 49%

• Less than 25%

• Not sure

Has your business gone through a collective redundancy consultation in the last 12 months?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

• Not applicable

Approximately, how many redundancies did your business make following this collective redundancy consultation process?

• More than 120

• Between 100 and 119

• Between 60 and 99

• Between 20 and 59

• Between 1 and 19

• Not sure

Approximately, how many redundancies was your business considering before the collective redundancy consultation process?

• More than 120

• Between 100 and 119

• Between 60 and 99

• Between 20 and 59

• Between 1 and 19

• Not sure

Has your business gone through the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) process in the last five years?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

Approximately, how often has your business gone through the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) process in the last five years?

• Once per year

• Every two years

• Every three to five years

• Other

• Not sure

• It was a one time occasion

Approximately, what proportion of your employees were transferred by Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) the last time your business went through the process?

• More than 75%

• Between 50% and 75%

• Between 25% and 49%

• Less than 25%

• Not sure

In the last 12 months, has your business had substitution clauses in its contracts?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

• Not applicable

In the last 12 months, approximately what percentage of contractors have used substitution clauses to complete their work?

• More than 75%

• Between 50% and 75%

• Between 25% and 49%

• Between 1% and 24%

• None

• Not sure

Approximately, what percentage of your business's workforce are currently opted out of the Working Time Regulation?

• More than 75%

• Between 50% and 75%

• Between 25% and 49%

• Between 1% and 24%

• None

• Not sure

Please tell us anything else about your business's current situation relating to topics covered in this survey

• Comments