LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Chief financial officers at major British companies are the most worried about competitiveness and productivity in at least 11 years, according to a survey that echoed other measures of corporate concern ahead of finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget.
The survey, published by accountancy firm Deloitte on Monday, did show geopolitical concerns had eased from earlier in 2025 after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed a string of bilateral trade deals to soften the impact of his import tariffs.
Sign up here.
But the worries about competitiveness and productivity in the July-to-September period were the highest since Deloitte began asking CFOs about them in 2014 and now rank on a par with concerns about geopolitics.
The Bank of England expects inflation hit 4% in September – double its target and the highest among major rich economies – while annual wage growth, though slowing, remains much higher than its pre-pandemic pace at nearly 5%.
UK CFOs worry about competitiveness and rising costs, Deloitte says
