Exports strong and business confidence at six-year high, says BCC

The BCC/DHL Express quarterly report revealed that orders remain close to the six-year high seen in Q2. More than two thirds (69%) of exporters expected their turnover to improve this quarter, the highest number since 2007. Nearly a third (34%) said that they expected to increase staff over the next quarter, up from 31% in Q2 2013. Confidence was particularly strong among exporting manufacturers, the survey of 2,200 manufacturing and service exporting firms said. Sixty six per cent believe that their turnover was likely to improve, compared with 61% last quarter. Nearly half of exporters (46%) said their export sales increased in Q3 2013, compared to 8% who said that they decreased. More than half of exporters (55%) believe that their profitability will increase this year. John Longworth, director general of the BCC, said: "UK exporters are more optimistic than ever about their prospects, with confidence higher than it has been since before the economic crisis. Exports have remained strong, and even more exporting firms are looking to take on new staff." He added: "Our bullish exporters give us even more reason to believe that the economy is turning a corner, and that full-year growth is likely to be stronger than expected. But, although things are looking up, there is more to do before we are well and truly on our way to having a great economy. "Exporting businesses are doing all they can to drive growth and find new opportunities overseas, but the government can't expect them to just get on with it without doing more to support them."