CBI responds to Scottish Government Economic Strategy
Hugh Aitken, CBI Scotland director, said: “Scotland’s economy is continuing to grow at a steady pace but there are a number of challenges we face, like the effect of low oil prices on the North Sea and sluggish growth in the eurozone.
“The Government’s economic strategy rightly prioritises making Scotland more competitive by investing in infrastructure, education and apprenticeships.
“To make sure growth benefits everyone, we need to boost productivity by fostering investment and making sure our workforce get the skills they need to compete in a globalised world.
“Businesses will also welcome the focus on making it easier for them to access growth finance and support to sell their products and services to new markets around the world.
“Living wages can be a useful guide for those businesses able to pay more but individual business circumstances vary hugely.
“We already have an effective universal wage floor, the National Minimum Wage, which enjoys strong support from the business community.
“Flexible contracts offer an important source of job creation that supports business growth and employees who need to manage different responsibilities. The range of options on offer in the UK is why we are continuing to create thousands of new jobs, and have a high employment rate and lower unemployment than many other competitor countries.”
