Standing Tall

The headwinds facing UK foreign direct investment make it vital that Scotland capitalises on its record for attracting new business, suggests the EY Scotland Attractiveness Survey.

Key points include:

• The total number of FDI projects in Scotland was 94, down by 19 percent from the year before.
• 15 percent of companies in the 2019 survey of international investors say they have put UK investment plans on hold as a result of the vote to leave the EU.
• When asked which region of the UK global investors see as the most attractive to establish operations, Scotland’s attractiveness more than doubled.
• Sizeable projects were recorded in the Highlands and Islands region and in the South of Scotland, which are predicted to see the combined creation of 450 jobs.
• Digital and business services both generated the highest numbers of inward investment projects for the UK as a whole, accounting for 34% of investment into Scotland.