Boost Your Business Growth with Insights from Our Quarterly Economic Survey (QES)

27 May 2025

Published in: Black Country Chamber of Commerce News

Our Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) has been live for a couple weeks now, you may have seen our social media posts encouraging you to get involved and this blog has been written with you in mind.

We understand that businesses are constantly under pressure, from global tariffs to inflation, taxation and more. Through this survey, we aim to understand the pressures you face to help shape the support we provide.

We will take you through:

Understanding the Quarterly Economic Survey.
Why it matters to your business.
How your voice is heard.
Access the data to support the direction of your business.

We know that completing surveys can sometimes feel time-consuming. That is why we have designed ours to be clear, concise, and quick to complete; while delivering practical insights you can use in your decision making. Read on to see why the QES is so important, and why we hope you will take a few minutes to complete it.

Understanding the Quarterly Economic Survey

The Quarterly Economic Survey does exactly what it says, it is an anonymous survey issued every quarter to analyse the performance of the economy. It is the UK’s most authoritative national business confidence survey, and the first to be published in each quarter.

By taking part, you will contribute to the latest Black Country data for you to gain insights on how fellow businesses are feeling and consider any actions you may need to take in your business for the upcoming quarter.

At the Chamber, we use the data to draw a clear picture of the economic trends locally and beyond, which is why we ask for every business across the Black Country, both members and non-members, to take part.

Why it matters to your business

Communication

A picture of a crowd in a room with a row of chairs. They are separated in small groups and chatting with each other, dressed in smart attire and some holding hot drinks.

The survey offers you a voice to contribute to important data watched closely by key policymakers. The first step is to identify the factors affecting your business and share this with us, so that we are better equipped as a region to overcome business challenges and embrace opportunities. These factors might include:

Business confidence.
Cashflow and investment.
Exporting and trading.
Recruitment.

Together we create a powerful voice to lobby to local and national Government.

Connection

By attending our QES data reveal events, you will be able to connect with like-minded businesses from start-ups to large industry leaders and be the first to hear the latest Black Country data, alongside the national data, to give you the picture of the local and national economy plus build those all-important relationships you may rely on in the future.

How your voice is heard

The QES is monitored by two key organisations:

HM Treasury Department

The HM Treasury is the UK Government’s economic and finance ministry. They have control over public spending, taxation and economic strategy to deliver sustainable growth.

Their priorities revolve around ensuring financial services and taxes are managed responsibly and improving regulation of the financial sector to protect the economy.

Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee

The Bank of England sets a monetary policy to stabilise inflation in the UK and the Monetary Policy Committee meets regularly to ensure the appropriate action is taken to protect the economy. They produce reports every quarter and discuss the reasons for their decisions.

By paying attention to the QES, these organisations hear first-hand the experiences of businesses like yours to help inform decisions that impact upon interest rates and business policy. This is why we encourage all businesses to make their voices heard.

Access the data to support the direction of your business

A picture of four people at the front sitting, they are a specialist panel while the audience is watching the discussion.

After we have gathered your responses, we act quickly to analyse and present the results at our quarterly data reveal events and deliver snapshot reports that are published on our website.

At these events we are joined by guest speakers and expert panellists to discuss the data in more detail, adding valuable context, answering questions and encouraging conversations that could open new pathways for businesses to navigate the topics impacting them.

Each quarter, we focus on a different theme to encourage businesses to reflect on trending topics including Technology, Digital Skills, AI and Cybersecurity.

This quarter’s theme is ‘Brand Protection and Reputation Management’. As you complete the survey, start thinking about how your business addresses this area, the actions you are taking and where you may need support. Don’t forget to join us at our next event on 3rd July at Prosperity Wealth

Book your place

Conclusion

As we reach the end of this blog, we hope you feel confident to complete the Q2 Quarterly Economic Survey, the Black Country Chamber of Commerce is on your side to make sure voices of local businesses are heard by those shaping business policy. We hope that has inspired you to get involved every quarter and explore new ways to connect and strengthen your business. You can get involved using the links below.