It was the biggest quarterly improvement since 2021, but businesses remain more pessimistic than optimistic overall, and confidence is still below its long-term average. Almost four in five companies said economic uncertainty had increased over the past 12 months. Construction and farming saw the biggest turnaround, though both still remain among the most pessimistic, along with bars, cafes, and restaurants. Only the tech and media sector and the culture, sport, and leisure sector were positive outright. Nearly three-quarters of firms facing more uncertainty have changed how they operate, most often by making staff and working methods more flexible.