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Black Country Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey Q1 2026

The Black Country Chamber's Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) offers an up to date snapshot of the performance of the Black Country business community. The feedback gained through the survey is used both on a local and national level to influence and shape policy and strategies to better support and represent the regions business needs.

This survey should only take a few minutes to complete, and information provided is submitted to the British Chambers of Commerce. For more information visit our website here. All responses will be anonymised.
1.Name of Organisation (optional):
2.Including yourself, how many people do you employ in the Black Country?(Required.)
3.What is your main business activity?
4.Excluding seasonal variations, over the past 3 months....(Required.)
Increased
Remained Constant
Decreased
N/A
UK sales/custom/bookings have...
UK orders/advance custom/bookings have...
Export sales or bookings have...
Export orders or advance bookings have...
5.Your workforce...(Required.)
Increased
Remained Constant
Decreased
N/A
Over the past 3 months, has your workforce...
Over the next 3 months, do you expect your workforce to...
6.Have you tried to recruit staff over the past 3 months?
7.If yes, were they for:
8.Did you experience any difficulties finding suitable staff?
9.If yes, for which of the following categories of employee:
10.Cash flow and Investment
Increased
Remained Constant
Decreased
Over the past 3 months, cash flow has...
Over the past 3 months, investment plans for plant/machinery/equipment have...
Over the past 3 months, investment plans for training have...
11.Business Confidence
Increase
Remain the Same
Decrease
Over the next 12 months, do you believe turnover will...
Over the next 12 months, do you believe profitability will...
12.Are you currently operating at:
13.Over the next 3 months do you expect your prices to:
14.Is your business suffering pressures to raise prices from any of the following:
15.Which of the following factors are more of a concern to your business than 3 months ago?
16.Please add here any comments or feedback that you would like to provide on current business conditions
This section is provided by our survey partner, the University of Wolverhampton. These questions focus on how and why organisations could work with universities.
17.Business needs that could benefit from university expertise

Which areas would you most value external (university) expertise on in the next 12 months? (Select up to 3)
18.Preferred support route

How would you most like to work with a university, if support were relevant? (Select one)
19.Barriers to working with a university

What is the main barrier that makes it hard to work with a university? (Select one)
20.Engagement readiness and timeframe

How likely are you to engage with a university on a practical business challenge in the next 6 months? (Select one)
21.Our Patron member the University of Wolverhampton at The Halls has kindly provided a voucher for two tickets to a show of your choice (subject to availability).

If you would like to be entered into the draw for a chance to win this prize, please tick the box below and enter a contact email address.
22.As a thank you for filling out this survey please provide us with your email address to be the first to receive the latest Black Country QES Results Snapshot.