Most small firms plan to grow over the coming year but are concerned by struggles to recruit, increasing costs and a lack of access to finance, a new report says.
The Small Business Index compiled by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that just over half (54%) of the 1,200 businesses surveyed expect to grow over the next year, higher than the last survey the organisation carried out before pandemic.
Job creation numbers are also at their highest in a number of years, but more than three-quarters of firms (78%) said their costs were rising and 40% said that profits were being hit by inflationary pressures.
