85 per cent of Business and Professional Services firms prepare to invest as technology, regulation and rising complexity drive demand

• Firms are seeing new demand for sustainability or climate-related advice (70 per cent), restructuring and insolvency support (70 per cent) and cybersecurity (69 per cent)
• Businesses need the right skills to turn investment into growth, with upskilling staff (32 per cent) and recruiting experienced talent (29 per cent) the biggest challenges
• Barclays client data shows international payments into and out of employment agency accounts rose 12.3 per cent and 23.6 per cent year-on-year respectively, likely pointing to growing demand for skills from overseas
• Barclays client data shows loan balances across Business and Professional Services rose 9.6 per cent year-on-year, suggesting investment has already started
• The £22bn Barclays Business Prosperity Fund is available to help the sector invest in both the technology and the talent needed to grow

New research from the Barclays Business Prosperity Index among 1,100 leaders at UK Business and Professional Services firms reveals that more than eight in 10 (85 per cent) plan to increase investment over the next year. This includes an average planned uplift of 40 per cent compared to the previous 12 months, as demand grows for specialist expertise to navigate an increasingly complex operating environment.

Seven in 10 have seen rising demand for sustainability and climate-related advice (70 per cent) and restructuring, turnaround and insolvency support (70 per cent) over the last 12 months, with cybersecurity and data protection close behind (69 per cent).

The changing regulatory environment is creating further opportunities for the sector. More than a quarter say it is creating opportunities to develop new services (29 per cent) for their business, while 28 per cent say it is encouraging investment in technology and automation.

Business and Professional Services firms more confident than UK business overall

The vast majority (95 per cent) of Business and Professional Services firms are confident about their business prospects over the next three years, compared with 84 per cent of UK businesses overall.

Anonymised Barclays client data from around 204,000 Business and Professional Services firms¹ suggests investment is gathering pace. Comparing Q3 2026 with Q3 2025, loan balances rose 9.6 per cent and the number of loans increased 5.7 per cent.

Within the Business Services segment:

• SME facilities providers, including security, industrial cleaning and catering, saw a 0.9 per cent rise in cash inflows, helping lift current account balances by 2.0 per cent and savings by 5.9 per cent. Loan balances also rose 4.9 per cent, suggesting investment decisions are still being made

Within the Professional Services segment:

• Accountants saw cash inflows rise 9.7 per cent, helping cut overdrafts by 10.3 per cent and lift savings by 21.0 per cent, the strongest savings growth of any subsector
• Legal practices are turning to longer-term finance, with loan balances up 12.7 per cent and the number of loans up 4.5 per cent

Within the two subsectors, Business Services behaved similarly to Professional Services except for overdraft usage. Here balances rose 22.5 per cent year-on-year but fell 6.5 per cent among Professional Services firms.

Across both sectors, SMEs are showing signs of resilience. Inbound international payments rose 1.7 per cent and cash inflows increased 1.4 per cent, pointing to some strengthening in both domestic and international business activity.

AI tops investment agenda but skills hold the key

AI and automation are the top investment priority for firms (22 per cent). The investment plans mirror client demand, with more than two thirds (68 per cent) seeing increased demand for AI strategy, implementation or governance services over the past year. Regulation is also working in the sector’s favour, with 27 per cent of leaders saying it is increasing and strengthening client confidence in their services.

Delivering on those plans depends on talent. More than seven in 10 leaders (71 per cent) say difficulty hiring skilled labour is impacting their ability to grow, with upskilling staff (32 per cent) and recruiting experienced talent (29 per cent) the biggest challenges facing their business.

The skills firms need are also shifting, with cybersecurity (26 per cent), risk and compliance (25 per cent) and AI and digital skills (22 per cent) among the capabilities expected to matter most to their organisation over the next three years.

Barclays client data shows international payments into employment agency accounts rose 23.6 per cent year-on-year, while payments out rose 12.3 per cent, likely pointing to growing demand for skills from overseas.

Steve Ainsworth, Head of Business and Professional Services, Barclays said: “When businesses face something complex, whether that’s a cyber threat, a restructuring or new regulation, Business and Professional Services firms are usually the first people they call. That demand is giving the sector real confidence, and firms are backing it with investment.

“The test now is people. Firms need the right skills to turn that investment into growth, and many are finding them hard to come by. Through our £22bn Barclays Business Prosperity Fund, we want to help them invest in both the technology and the talent they need to grow.”

Backing UK Business and Professional Services firms to scale

More than half (55 per cent) of leaders expect their next major phase of growth over the next two years to be focused in the UK. More are targeting growth outside London (29 per cent) than inside the capital (26 per cent), with almost four in 10 (38 per cent) focused on international expansion.

To support businesses to invest for growth, the £22bn Barclays Business Prosperity Fund is available to provide lending and refinancing to eligible Business Banking and UK Corporate Banking clients across the UK.

Notes

The survey data was conducted among 1,100 UK Business and Professional Services respondents at senior management level or above, between 16th – 23rd October 2026, by Censuswide on behalf of Barclays.

Businesses surveyed included accounting and advisory, financial services, legal services, outsourced services, property services, strategic and data advisory, technical services, workforce solutions. Barclays anonymised client data, represents around 204,000 Business and Professional Services firms across Barclays Business Banking and UK Corporate Bank divisions.

¹Barclays anonymised client data, represents around 204,000 Business and Professional Services firms across Barclays Business Banking and UK Corporate Bank divisions.

In line with government definitions, Professional Services are typically defined as knowledge-intensive, specialist advisory or technical activities, such as law, accountancy and consultancy. Business Services are typically defined as the operational and support functions that enable organisations to operate, including recruitment, facilities, and wider business support activities

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