Survey highlights fears of Covid-Brexit double whammy

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Brexit will have a negative impact on England’s SME manufacturers ability to recover from the pandemic, according to the findings of the latest Manufacturing Barometer.

The report, which gathered intelligence from 409 companies across the country, revealed that uncertainty is still holding many management teams back, with 47 per cent admitting they have no idea how the transition out of the EU will affect their business.

This worrying message is reinforced by an industry that is still besieged by Covid-19 and living with constant changes to the way they operate. A total of 62 per cent of respondents are still trading below pre-pandemic levels, whilst more than a quarter feel it will take between one and five years to get back to normal.

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Conducted by the SWMAS (the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service) and the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), the survey is the largest of its kind in England and highlighted that nearly half of SMEs are still not convinced that the financial support currently in place will be enough help them survive Covid-19.

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