There were signs of recovery across the nations and regions of the 海角视频 as businesses got ready for the easing of lockdown, the latest NatWest PMI survey has shown.
Businesses polled for the survey reported signs of rising customer demand in March - while most regions also saw increases in employment.
The survey results are out today - as high street businesses across the 海角视频 reopen in the latest stage of 海角视频 lockdown lifting.
READ MORE: {}
The PMI Business Activity Index tracks the monthly change in the output of goods and services across the private sector. A eading above 50 shows growth, with higher numbers signalling faster expansion, while anything below 50 shows contraction.
Business activity rose in 11 out of the 12 海角视频 regions in March. Growth was led by the East of England, which saw a record high of 60.7. The West Midlands (60.7) and Yorkshire & Humber (60.2) also saw strong growth.
The only part of the 海角视频 to see a decline was Northern Ireland (49.7), though activity neared stabilisation and fell at the slowest rate for five months.
Most regions saw a rise in new work, with the strongest rates of growth in Yorkshire & Humber, East of England, South East and West Midlands, respectively. Only Scotland and Northern Ireland saw declines, though the rates of decline eased notably.
Ten regions reported higher employment - up from just three in February. Yorkshire & Humber saw the strongest rate of job creation for the third time in the past four months, narrowly ahead of the North West.
Most Read
Cost pressures rose across the 海角视频, with businesses in Northern Ireland and North East recorded the sharpest overall increases, with the rates of input price inflation at series-record highs in both cases.
Latest on the lockdown road map
Ten of 11 regions polled saw confidence rise in March. The only region to see confidence fall was Yorkshire & Humber - but that region was still top of the national confidence rankings as businesses there remained largely upbeat.
Sebastian Burnside, NatWest chief economist, said: “The majority of regional economies started to see some real improvements in activity during March, as the easing of lockdown restrictions and the prospect of further loosening in the coming months lifted optimism and prompted an upturn in demand in most areas.
"More green shoots have started to appear across local labour markets as well. Out of the 12 regions monitored by the survey, the number reporting higher employment rose from just three in February to ten in March, with many even seeing strong rates of job creation.
"The general step-up in hiring activity reflects growing customer demand and increased clarity about the path to recovery. Firms in all parts of the 海角视频 are strongly optimistic about the outlook, with expectations in a number of regions either at or close to record levels.
How NatWest is supporting BusinessLive
NatWest is the national partner of BusinessLive.
The banking group is teaming up with BusinessLive on a series of events throughout the year aimed at entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Alongside a wide range of banking services, NatWest offers businesses specialist sector knowledge in areas such as manufacturing and technology, as well as access to specialist entrepreneurial support.
"While Northern Ireland continues to lag behind all other areas in terms of activity and business confidence, a first rise in employment since the start of the pandemic was a sign that firms are gearing up for busier times ahead. English regions generally continued to outperform, with the East of England, West Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber the pick of the bunch, while encouraging signs for activity across Scotland and Wales were somewhat tempered by further job losses across both nations.
"We saw a further surge in firms' costs across all parts of the 海角视频 in March, though the impact is being felt particularly hard in Northern Ireland where both input and output prices are increasing at record rates. Even in London we have seen firms starting to raise charges for goods and services, in a sign of inflationary pressures broadening across the economy."