Most “state of UK SMEs” pieces recycle the same survey everyone else quotes. This one doesn’t. The numbers below come from anonymised, aggregated enquiry volume across UK service-sector platforms operated by our publisher and commercial partners - an early, directional read on what households and businesses are trying to buy. It measures enquiry demand, not completed work or revenue, and it isn’t a measure of the wider UK economy.
This is the first edition. We’ll publish it on the first working day of every month.
The headline
Service enquiry volume rose 6.4% month-on-month in May, the third consecutive monthly rise and the strongest reading since the index began. Demand is broadening: where growth in March and April was concentrated in reactive trades, May saw planned and discretionary work return.
Where the movement is
Drainage and emergency trades remained the largest category by volume but grew most slowly, up 2.1% - consistent with these being non-discretionary, weather-and-fault driven services that don’t swing much with confidence.
Commercial cleaning enquiries jumped 11.3%, the sharpest monthly move in the index. Recurring-contract enquiries (rather than one-off cleans) drove most of it, which tends to signal businesses planning ahead rather than reacting - a confidence indicator worth watching. (If you are on the supply side of that demand, our commercial cleaning contract calculator prices a recurring contract at a margin that survives.)
Waste and clearance sat in the middle at 5.8%, with a clear regional story underneath the national figure.
The regional split
London and the South East accounted for the largest absolute volume, but the fastest growth came from the North West and Yorkshire - both up double digits month-on-month. That pattern, faster growth outside the South East, has now held for two months.
What we read into it
Three consecutive monthly rises, led by discretionary and recurring categories rather than emergencies, is the profile of cautiously returning business confidence rather than a one-off bounce. The regional spread suggests it isn’t a London-only effect. Rising enquiry volume only pays if the quotes convert, though - and win rate has less to do with price than most owners think.
We’d caveat heavily: one quarter does not make a trend, and our data over-represents service sectors with an online enquiry path. We’ll be transparent every month about what the index can and can’t tell you.
Methodology
Our data reports are based on anonymised, aggregated enquiry data from UK service-sector platforms operated by our publisher and commercial partners. The data measures enquiry demand, not completed work, revenue or the wider UK economy, and we publish it as an early directional signal, not a definitive market measure. The index is set to a January 2026 baseline of 100, figures are seasonally unadjusted, and no personal or business-identifying data is used or published.