Business leaders across Staffordshire are being invited to share their views on the region’s economic challenges and opportunities by participating in the latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce has launched its Q3 QES, with businesses being encouraged to take part and help provide a snapshot of the local economy as the second half of 2026 unfolds.
The survey looks at business confidence, profitability, investment, employment, sales, exports and the pressures facing firms, with the results helping to inform the Chamber’s policy and lobbying work.
All businesses that complete the QES will also be entered into a draw to win a £50 Lunar Wedgwood voucher.
Declan Riddell, Policy & Public Affairs Manager at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “The QES gives businesses across Staffordshire an opportunity to tell us what is really happening on the ground.
“We want to hear from businesses of all shapes and sizes, because the more responses we receive, the clearer the picture we have of the local economy.
“Businesses continue to face a range of challenges, so it is important that we understand how they are feeling and what impact those pressures are having on their plans.”
The previous QES, conducted in the second quarter of the year, showed a rise in business optimism, with 57.8% of businesses expecting their profitability to increase over the next 12 months, compared with 42% in the previous quarter.
There was also an increase in investment, with the proportion of businesses reporting increased spending on plant, machinery and capital rising from 11.3% to 20.4%.
The latest survey will help establish whether that improvement in confidence and investment has continued into the third quarter.
First launched in 1989, the survey has become a cornerstone of business research, compiled nationally by the British Chambers of Commerce and reviewed quarterly by the Bank of England and various Government departments.
Declan added: “We’re keen to understand whether the positive signs from the last survey have continued, as well as what other issues businesses are now facing.
“Are you feeling more or less confident about the months ahead? Are you investing, recruiting or facing pressures that could affect your plans?
“We’re keen to collect the views of local businesses as we roll out our latest Quarterly Economic Survey.”
Businesses can complete the Q3 QES here.
