Growth will be sluggish in 2024: Five need-to-know business stories

Hello and welcome to our daily digest of business, financial and economic news from around Scotland.

Scotland will experience slight growth up to 2026, according to the EY Item Club

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1. Scotland will avoid a recession this year but economic growth will remain sluggish in 2024, according to forecasts from the EY Item Club.

Its report, published on Monday, suggests that gross value added (GVA), a measure of economic output, has essentially been flat since 2022.

For 2024 it expects a 0.3 per cent rise followed by a 1.3 per cent increase in 2025 then 1.5 per cent in 2026.

Employment is expected to be relatively flat next year before improving slightly in both 2025 and 2026.

Shona Robison want Jeremy Hunt to prioritise public services in his autumn statement

ALAMY

2. Shona Robison has called on the chancellor to prioritise public services and cost of living support rather than tax cuts in