Confidence levels among smaller firms in the South West are rising “slowly but surely” from record lows, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The FSB said a quarterly survey of its members in the region had found, while still in negative territory, there had been a noticeable upwards shift in confidence, with the deficit being more than halved.
Twice as many companies who took part said they were likely to take on staff rather than decrease their headcount in the coming months, while nearly four in 10 firms said they were aiming to grow either rapidly or moderately in the current quarter.
