Local labour markets remained in recovery mode, but sharply rising prices were once again a prominent feature across all parts of the UK.

Sebastian Burnside, Royal Bank of Scotland Chief Economist, commented:

“Most regional economies across the UK made a positive start to 2022, as the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant eased and restrictions were loosened. Output growth generally picked up amid signs of demand starting to rebound in January.

“Businesses across all parts of the UK are predicting 2022 to be a good year for growth, which is translating into more new jobs across local economies. The broad-based recovery in regional labour markets that began last spring continued into the new year, despite reports of tightness in the job space.

“Elevated cost pressures continue to pose a challenge for the UK’s businesses and consumers alike, however. With the survey’s measures of firms’ input and output prices staying close to record highs in all regions, and in some cases even reaching new peaks, the cost-of-living squeeze we’ve seen in recent months is set to continue.”

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