A new study of manufacturers — from all sectors of industry — has revealed a huge call for National Insurance contributions (NICs) and the employee rights bill to be reversed ahead of this week’s Autumn Budget (26 November). The majority of companies (88%) questioned by personalised workwear specialist
MyWorkwear would like to see a U-turn by the Chancellor, with nearly two thirds (63%) stating that NICs and minimum wage increases have already had a negative impact on their performance.
Almost half of firms (45%) are worried that they will struggle to survive the next five years, and, in a stark message to the Government, more than three quarters (77%) of management teams said they would not vote for Labour if an election was held tomorrow.
James Worthington, co-owner of MyWorkwear, said: “We work very closely with thousands of businesses in the manufacturing sector to provide them with PPE and workwear and it is fair to say that it has been a challenging year for the industry. Our data shows that when manufacturers looked back to the Autumn Statement in 2024, only 48% said their business fortunes had improved since then, whereas 52% said that there had either been no change or things had worsened. With the Budget happening on Wednesday, the results indicate that the Government cannot afford to get on the wrong side of business again with new tax rises and more regulation.”
In total, 128 business leaders were questioned as part of the
Business Confidence Report by MyWorkwear. The survey showed that some companies were still prepared to invest in branded workwear, with it being voted the least likely internal cost businesses were having to reduce. It also highlighted that branded workwear was the second most popular brand awareness tool being used by companies, second only to digital marketing.