Understanding how housing challenges in the Highlands are impacting rural businesses

There’s been a great deal of news coverage recently regarding the significant challenges facing businesses across the UK when it comes to the recruitment and retention of staff. Businesses in a whole range of sectors are facing a ‘perfect storm’ of factors including reduced access to labour following our departure from the European Union and changing patterns of demand caused by Covid 19.

However, in addition to these challenges, As reported in our blog on 3rd August, the April to June 2021 Cairngorms Business Barometer found that many business based in this area were also experiencing recruitment and retention challenges because of a lack of housing for their employees to live in.

Our survey and anecdotal evidence gained from conversations with businesses suggests that with increasing house prices (partly driven by the number of houses becoming second homes or holiday accommodation), this issue is becoming increasingly urgent for employers in many parts of rural Scotland, affecting a wide range of sectors from tourism businesses to food and drink producers.

Indeed, it is feared that this issue could significantly constrain the potential growth of many businesses in areas such as the Cairngorms or even threaten the survival of some.

To better understand this issue we were commissioned last month by Cairngorms Business Partnership to undertake new research to understand the scale of the issue amongst business in the Badenoch and Strathspey area and we are delighted to announce that we have also just been commissioned to undertake a similar study in Lochaber on behalf of Lochaber Chamber of Commerce.

In both areas we will soon be launching surveys of businesses which will collect evidence to ensure we can determine the scale of the issue currently, details of the sectors, skills and roles most affected plus an understanding of how the issues is impacting businesses.

By collecting this evidence we hope that these studies will play a key role in future decisions on housing provision in the Highlands, helping business to survive and grow sustainably.

If you’d like to find out more about these studies or how we can support your with your research needs – including surveys of businesses get in touch.

Cairngorms Business Barometer goes LIVE!

This week we were delighted to complete our first wave of the Cairngorms Business Barometer – a quarterly survey of businesses located in the Cairngorms National Park which we have been commissioned to undertaken by Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP). The survey provides CBP, their partners and the businesses that take part with information on business performance, confidence and barriers to growth. Particularly vital insights at this critical time.

Just over 100 businesses took part and the key results from the Quarter 2 survey have received coverage in the local press. As described in the article, we found that business confidence for the summer months is now higher than at any stage since before the pandemic. However, businesses told us that a number of barriers continue to restrain growth – most notably the burdens of bureaucracy and rising administration costs. Also for some businesses a shortage of local, affordable housing is making it difficult for them to recruit and retain staff.

We look forward to continuing to work with CBP on future waves of the Barometer: get in touch if you’d like to find out more about the approach or if you are a business based in the Cairngorms and would like to take part in the next wave.