Economic Research alert - April 2022

This paper provides an overview of research in the public domain with a focus on the priorities from the Scottish Enterprise Business Plan (jobs, net zero, place) – there is also a section on general business surveys.

The methodology consisted of desk research.

Some highlights include: Jobs - Scotland has seen a boost in space jobs and now accounts for a fifth of the UK space workforce. 8,440 were employed in the sector in 2020 with spaceports expected to generate more jobs in future years. Research shows that the pandemic has widened the gender pay divide across Scottish cities, with Aberdeen having the worst gender pay divide in the UK at 46%. NetZero - The Scottish Land Commission has suggested land values in Scotland are thriving due to investors funding forestry and tree-planting to offset carbon emissions. “Our Scottish Future” calls for bus travel to be radically overhauled, with maximum fares of £2 per urban journey, to support both the cost of living crisis and progress towards net zero. Place - A new blueprint to help town centres recover from the pandemic recommends investing in low carbon transport, the creation of more green space and assistance to help traditional businesses compete with internet-only rivals. Commercial property take-up in Edinburgh and Glasgow is on the rise again with an increasing number of companies looking for refurbished and smaller offices spaces to facilitate hybrid working. Other business - Rising costs, increased prices and consumers lack of disposable income are highlighted by a number of business surveys. The number of financial services firms to have moved or that plan to move operations, staff and assets from the UK to Europe as a result of Brexit has stabilised over the last 12 months.

This paper makes no recommendations.