Businesses across the 海角视频 got more confident in their prospects in January as their activity grew and employment rose, according to a new study.
The latest NatWest Regional PMI report showed more regions recording growth than they did at the end of last year.
Nine of the 12 regions and nations studied reported a rise in output, while 11 of those regions saw employment rise.
Each region is given a Business Activity Index, where a reading above 50 shows growth.
The biggest output growth was in London, where the index rose to a near three-year high of 56.5, while the East of England was second with 54.1.
In the South West, output was stable with an index of 50 - but the North East and Northern Ireland saw declines, with index ratings of 48.2 and 46.8 respectively.
The North East was the only region to see a decrease in employment, though the rate of decline was the weakest for five months.
Businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber were most optimistic about the future, followed by the West Midlands and Wales. Scotland was at the bottom of the rankings.
Sebastian Burnside, NatWest's chief economist, said: 鈥淭he green shoots that we saw across the regional PMI surveys in December were not a false dawn, with most areas of the 海角视频 sustaining this momentum and making a bright start to the new year.
"The data show a broadening of growth of both business activity and employment in January, with London continuing to lead the way but being followed closely by improving performances in most other regions.
鈥淔irms in the North East and Northern Ireland struggled the most under the weight of Brexit uncertainty in 2019, so it鈥檚 encouraging to see that even here demand is showing signs of stabilising, and there is a real confidence among businesses of growth in 2020.鈥
