North East firms are more confident about their prospects than contemporaries in any other region, new research suggests.
The findings of the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer for May found that despite confidence falling six points to 35% during the month, the region is still second highest of all UK nations and regions. Firms pointed to priorities in the next six months being investment in new technology (45%), investing in teams (37%) and investing in sustainability (37%).
And a net balance of 33% of North East companies expect to increase staff levels over the next year, down five points on last month. It comes as overall UK business confidence dropped five points to 28% across the month.
