These webinars are an opportunity for key stakeholders to be briefed on the latest Quarterly Economic Survey results and to discuss what their implications are.

This time around, the QES was themed around Artificial Intelligence and how businesses feel it will impact them in the future. Covering this hot button topic from all angles, respondents were given a chance to ask if they perceive AI as a promising opportunity or a looming threat, if they have the skills in-house to properly utilise said technology, and if they expect the latest developments to have any effect on the number of people they employ.

At the webinar, stakeholders will explore the results in detail and talk about what needs to happen to make sure that South Yorkshire is ahead of the curve when it comes to AI.

About The South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Surveys

Every three months, the South Yorkshire Chambers — those being the respective networks for Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley & Rotherham — conduct a major survey gauging how their members feel about current business conditions, as well as the broader state of the economy.

In addition to providing a snapshot of these more general sentiments, the questionnaires will always take a deep dive into a specific issue that’s of particular relevance to the business community; whether that’s recruitment, transport infrastructure, the cost of living, or the implications of AI.

The results from this will then go on to inform the various advocacy & campaigning activities of the SY Chambers, as they strive to better represent their members. They will also being used to influence the decision-making of those with the power to enact meaningful change in our region.

The polls conducted in South Yorkshire also go on to feed into the nationwide Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which is itself the largest and most representative independent business survey of its kind in the UK. For this reason, it is closely watched by policymakers such as the Treasury, the Bank of England, the Office of Budget Responsibility, the EU Commission and the IMF.

About The Stakeholder Webinars

Facilitated by Dan Fell, Chief Exec of Doncaster Chamber, these webinars will explore the findings of the South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Surveys and see what more can be gleaned from them.

It is an opportunity for stakeholders — from the local authority, public sector, political arena or elsewhere — to better understand the plight of their respective business communities, and to learn more about what firms on the ground think ought to be prioritisied here in South Yorkshire.

Those who attend will be briefed on the survey results, will have an opportunity to ask questions, and will get to participate in a discussion about how to make the region a more business-friendly environment.