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Black Country Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey Q2 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
17.Costs and pricing pressure

To what extent has the situation in Iran affected your business costs over the past three months (e.g. energy, fuel, transport, insurance, raw materials)?
18.Supply chain and logistics impacts

Have you experienced any of the following disruptions to your supply chains or deliveries linked to the situation in Iran?
(Please select one option per row)
Yes
No
Not applicable
Don't know
Delays in shipment of input materials/supplies
Reduced availability of input materials/supplies
Lost shipments of input materials/supplies
Delays to outgoing shipments
Rerouting of outgoing shipments
Loss of outgoing shipments
Order cancellations
19.Export market withdrawal

Has the situation in Iran caused your business to pause or withdraw from specific export markets?
20.Business decisions / confidence

Has uncertainty linked to the situation in Iran influenced your business decisions in any of the following areas?
(Select all that apply)
21.Support needs

What would most help your business manage the impact of ongoing geopolitical disruption?
(Select up to three)
This section is provided by our survey partner, the University of Wolverhampton. These questions focus on the Green Innovation Corridor
22.Please share your knowledge of the Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor?
23.How is your business adapting or already transitioned to any of the following areas which are core to the Green Innovation Corridor offer:
24.The Green Innovation Corridor has investible sites and spaces available for purchase, relocation and incubation for businesses involved in green technologies. Is this something you or any businesses in your supply chain are considering? If yes, what is the timescale?
25.Which of the following would interest you in addressing skills development and talent acquisition challenges in your business? Tick all that apply and/or state anything else.
26.What are your current, top three business challenges?
A snapshot of the results will be available to view on our website. Gold, Platinum and Patron members will receive a detailed report via email each quarter.