Economy

The UK's national debt is projected to treble over the next 50 years, driven by an ageing population, climate change, and geopolitical tensions, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In its latest Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report, the OBR revealed that without increased

Store closures in Scotland have slowed significantly, with towns and cities losing less than one shop a day on average, according to PwC. PwC's bi-annual report, using data from location data specialist Green Street, tracks more than 200,000 chain outlets in over 3,500 locations to gain a picture of

The UK economy has experienced a second consecutive month of stagnant growth in July, with GDP remaining flat.

The Scottish labour market continues to demonstrate strength, with employment rates rising and unemployment falling in the May to July 2024 quarter, according to recent figures. Despite a slight lag behind UK averages, Scotland's employment rate reached 74.2%, while the unemployment rate dropped to

Scotland's private sector maintained its growth trajectory in August, according to the latest Regional Growth Tracker data from RBS. The economy was again, however, driven by the service sector, masking a downturn at manufacturers. Service firms also revealed a further improvement in demand trends,

Two major Scottish cities have improved their performance in PwC's Good Growth for Cities Index.

The Capital Markets Industry Taskforce (CMIT) has highlighted the need for an additional £100 billion annual investment over the next decade to drive long-term growth in the UK economy. The CMIT's Capital Markets Of Tomorrow (CMOT) report, led by Sir Nigel Wilson, quantifies the scal

Scotland's Finance Secretary Shona Robison has unveiled plans for up to £500 million in spending cuts to balance the Scottish government's budget amid "enormous and growing" financial pressure. Ms Robison told parliament that this fiscal year Scotland is projected to face an additional £

Scottish retailers experienced another month of declining sales in August, marking a disappointing summer for the sector.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has released a set of reports today providing insights into Scotland’s historic environment sector and a framework to help drive its contribution to Scotland’s economy, communities, and net zero ambitions. The information released includes the Delivery

The Scottish Retail Consortium has called for injecting greater certainty into fiscal plans, spending restraint rather than tax rises, and tax competitiveness as central focus points in the upcoming Scottish Budget. In its Budget submission – entitled Realising The Growth Ambition – sent

Scotland's onshore GDP saw a slight decline of 0.3% in June, following a 0.2% growth in May. The overall picture for Q2 remains positive, with 0.6% growth, compared to Q1's 0.5%. The largest contribution to headline GDP in was electricity & gas supply, which contributed 0.3 percentage points to

In a sign of the strong potential of the UK economy, 468,000 new firms have started up in the first half of 2024, according to the New Startup Index, published by Beauhurst and supported by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

The UK economy grew by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024, matching expectations and marking a continued recovery from last year's recession. However, monthly GDP growth was flat in June due to poor weather impacting retail sales. Experts warn that challenges remain for sustaining long-term growth,

Scotland’s economic recovery is gaining momentum, suggesting fertile conditions for growth, but pace remains ‘anaemic’, according to the latest EY ITEM Club Scottish Summer forecast. The latest quarterly GDP data indicates that the Scottish economy grew by 0.5% in the first quarter