National Business Survey

The National Business Survey is a survey of 5300 businesses by Ipsos on behalf of the Regional Development Agency (RDA) Network and Invest Northern Ireland is the largest of its kind, asking businesses about their performance, opportunities and issues.
  • NBS results from November 2009 demonstrate the continued challenging conditions faced by160 businesses in England and Northern Ireland - 47% reported declining business performance in the past 12 months.
  • However, the NBS provides strong evidence that market conditions are stabilising and there has been a slight overall improvement in businesses performance compared to June 2009.
    • A greater proportion of businesses reported improved in performance in November compared to the previous wave - 20% in November 2009 compared to 16% in June (17% and 11% respectively in Northern Ireland).
    • Fewer businesses reported deteriorating performance compared to June 2009, a sign that a stronger operating environment and more favourable demand conditions is beginning to positively impact on business.

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