Scottish businesses face barriers to international growth including stumping up for capital and sourcing staff.
Less than half of Scottish businesses are looking to grow exports despite most identifying growth as a priority, a new survey has found.
Only 40% of those asked said they are looking to grow internationally, as Scottish local content rules and staffing remain barriers to growing business abroad. Nearly 90% of respondents aim to grow their domestic business, the survey found.
The survey, published by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, questioned 372 Scottish businesses in Q1 of 2014. The results will be used to look at the obstacles facing existing and potential Scottish exporters.
“We are supporting businesses with market support and we find that businesses that internationalize usually get a return within a year, and rapidly move from passive to active internationalization,” said chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian chamber of commerce (AGCC), Robert Collier.
“The results of the BCC Trade Survey for Scotland confirm recent AGCC research which identifies internationalisation ambitions are often being held back.
“In our region, we know that having to invest finance and capital upfront, dealing with local content rules and securing staff to exploit international opportunities are challenges,” he added.
Chief executive of the Scottish chambers of commerce, Liz Cameron, said this survey has shown that Scottish businesses are facing “substantial challenges” when looking to export to international markets. “The hard work of Scottish businesses is shining through as Scotland’s economy gives us positive signals; orders are increasing, employment is on the up and overall, businesses are more optimistic about the future of their business.
“We know that Scotland’s innovation and people are its strength so we must keep our finger on the pulse, making sure we tackle the barriers preventing us from doing business outside of Scotland,” she said.