Survey suggests Scotland remains the most attractive UK location outside London for foreign direct investment.
New evidence points to Scotland's strong appeal to foreign investors, ahead of any part of the UK apart from London.
The annual survey of such activity, by business consultancy EY, has found that Scotland remains the most attractive place in the UK for foreign direct investment outside London. Do positive attitudes mean further investment will come this way? The signs are good. A record high 19.2% of global inward investors - yet again, second to London - are planning to establish or expand operations in Scotland.Looking at this from city level, Scotland scores again, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in the top five UK cities outside London.
At Highlands and Islands Enterprise, head of international trade Vicky Grant explains: "We work closely with companies looking to invest here. We help them identify the ideal location, find premises, help with recruitment and training, and can often also help financially. Beyond that, we continue working with them to make sure they have access to the full range of support they need to prosper.
Much bigger numbers are being generated in aerospace and biotech. At the end of last month, pharma giant Merck announced it plans to create 500 jobs in Glasgow and Stirling for drug testing. That will bring its Scottish workforce to 1200.A round of golf at one of Scotland's famous courses can help get deals over the line
Many of the success stories these days are, unlike Merck, not big plants or manufacturing, but smaller scale operations tapping into Scotland's skills base for research labs. And while FDI 'attractiveness' appears to be a welcome sign, the consequent effect on the economy is not entirely welcome. Through exiting the single market, some inward investment has come into the UK to set up separate entities and distribution bases.
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