Features
Scotland has a hidden secret… and it’s about time we started sharing it. Our nation is already well-known for its concentration of world-class universities – higher per head of population than any other country – but what we don’t shout about enough is the stream of innovative students, graduates, and staff at those universities who are turning their ideas into global businesses.
At the beginning of 2024, 43% of British workers were supplementing their main income with additional jobs, a fallout of the Cost-of-Living crisis. Whether that be freelancing, selling handmade crafts on Etsy or spending evenings cycling as a Deliveroo rider, the economic backdrop is contributing to the growth of this way of working.
Despite small businesses single handedly generating a quarter of the UK’s GDP, over a quarter (26%) of small business owners have next to no accounting knowledge. In fact, accounting is the reason many budding entrepreneurs don’t get a business off the ground with one in 10 people put off starting a business by tax and accounting.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has come into its own in the last few years. No longer abstract, it is accessible and affordable for almost all sectors and sizes of business, bringing the potential for tangible benefits when correctly applied. That’s why 15% of UK businesses, and 68% of large companies, already use at least one AI technology, and many more are planning to invest in AI tools.
The NHS, and healthcare systems globally, have had to scrutinise how their increasingly scarce resources are being used. At a national level, the NHS is being asked to reduce spending in real terms to bring it closer to pre-pandemic levels, while simultaneously being asked to prioritise tackling the post-pandemic backlog. The system is consistently being expected to strive towards doing more, with less.














