Business optimism ‘flatlined’ following general election – report

Business optimism has “flatlined” following the general election as firms wait to see the impact of the new Government and its policies, a study suggests.

Business advisers BDO LLP said companies were also waiting for details on how the UK will leave the European Union.

Peter Hemington, of BDO LLP, said: “UK business is hoping for a Boris bounce. However, we’ve seen in the past that post-election changes in optimism take a while to feed through, even where the result is as decisive as this.

“Added to this, British businesses are still waiting to see the UK’s EU exit deal.

“However, it’s difficult to find a business person who isn’t hugely relieved to see the back of last year’s political chaos. From experience, this change of mood should feed its way through into a more upbeat approach to hiring and investing as we go through the year.”

BDO said its research indicated that the number of job vacancies across the UK fell in 2019 compared to previous years.