Inheritance tax reform could threaten 200,000 family-business jobs
Survey of family-business and farming SMEs quantifying the investment, employment and succession impact of proposed IHT changes.
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Insights & Reports
UK SME data, published regularly, free to read.
Trends Research publishes a continuous stream of UK SME insight — most notably our Monthly SME Business Trends Survey, plus quarterly deep-dives and sector reports. Selected highlights below; the full archive is available on request.
Flagship
The Monthly SME Business Trends Survey
Our flagship barometer — a 2,000+ response monthly tracker of UK SME confidence, hiring intent, investment plans and policy sentiment. Public commentary is published on Business Matters; the underlying data is licensable to corporate and policy clients.
2,000+
SME responses each wave
12×
Waves per year — full calendar coverage
21
Sectors tracked
12
UK regional reads
Recent insight
What our latest data is saying.
SMEs delay major decisions ahead of Spring Statement
How UK SMEs paused investment and hiring while awaiting fiscal clarity — and what re-triggered activity in the weeks afterwards.
Read coverageStep-by-step guide to conducting effective business surveys
A practical guide for in-house teams on planning, designing and analysing business surveys to drive real strategic decisions.
Request the guideThe SME hiring pipeline: where the jobs are actually being created
A regional and sector read-out of where UK SMEs added headcount in 2024 — and which roles proved hardest to fill.
Request the reportAI adoption among UK SMEs: barriers and breakthroughs
Sector-by-sector picture of which UK SMEs are actually using AI tooling, what's working, and where investment is stalling.
Request the reportSME access to finance: the alternative lending shift
How UK SMEs are funding growth, working capital and asset purchase in a higher-rate environment — and what that means for traditional banking relationships.
Request the report
Data licensing
Subscribe to our SME data feed.
Strategy, marketing, public affairs and economic research teams can subscribe to the underlying data feed of the Monthly SME Business Trends Survey — receiving the raw cross-tabs, methodology notes and analyst commentary the week each wave ships.
Standard subscription
Monthly data feed, quarterly analyst briefing call, all sector cross-cuts.
Enterprise subscription
All of standard, plus two custom questions per wave and bespoke regional read-outs.
Public affairs subscription
All of enterprise, plus rapid-response surveys on policy events at favourable unit pricing.