A new survey of small businesses across South Yorkshire has found that both levels of confidence about the future and sales are on the rise, suggesting the region will recover from Covid-19.

The latest South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Survey spoke to 242 companies in the region, with 38% of them indicating that they had seen a rise in the number of sales they were making in the period from April to June, in comparison to the initial quarter of this year.

This report also shows clear signs that the levels of confidence among smaller firms throughout South Yorkshire are going up following the pandemic. In total, 70% of the firms that took part in the survey stated they are optimistic that their turnover levels will get better, which is a rise of 11% compared with 2021 Q1.

There are accountants in Goole and other parts of South Yorkshire that firms looking to improve turnover levels after the pandemic can turn to for advice.

The survey also found that the second quarter of this year had brought a rise in export sales among firms in the region by 17%, although this is still a lower figure than that of the pre-pandemic period.

When it comes to staffing levels, 19% of South Yorkshire firms have recruited additional employees and just 5% of them are expecting to have to lay people off in the coming three-month quarter. That is close to the figure for the period prior to the start of the pandemic, which was 4%.