George Osborne handed boost on business confidence, jobs and exports Scotland, followed by the West Midlands and the North West, produced the biggest year-on-year increase in job openings with the security and safety, charity and voluntar, and construction and property sectors leading the way. The British Chambers of Commerce, analysing data from 7,000 members, highlighted the outlook for exports and new orders where the levels are closing in on their 1994 peak. Business confidence is also stronger while cashflow for manufacturing and service businesses has now turned positive in both sectors. John Longworth, BCC director general, said that despite rising confidence the economy remained stuck on the slow growth path and "radical action" was needed. That was a view echoed by manufacturing body EEF, which called on the Coalition to refocus infrastructure spending plans and give priority to road and airport expansion, as well as being more imaginative about financing schemes. There was also a stronger note of optimism in the monthly snapshot produced by Lloyds Bank. Business sentiment bounced back from a four-month low, suggesting a positive but moderate pace of expansion in the economy. Confidence showed the biggest pick-up in the industrial and distribution sectors with manufacturing leading the way. Business confidence in the industrial sector is at an all-time high. A majority of businesses said they would be taking on more staff over the next year. "Overall, businesses are feeling more confident about the economy than they were at the beginning of the year," said Lloyds.