Aviva Risk Insights Report 2021 – live today

We’re delighted to share with you our second annual Aviva Risk Insights Report – live today. Capturing the views of 1,251 leaders, from small, medium and large UK businesses across 9 sectors, the report identifies emerging trends, includes expert analysis, and highlights the top 10 risks to consider in the coming months.

As the world continues to present us with uncertainty, we’re also exposed to a new and changing risk landscape. This research gives us an up-to-date view of how UK businesses are feeling about their prospects and what they’re most worried about, allowing us as insurers and brokers, to focus on what matters most to our clients.

Economic concerns were the number #1 risk this year, followed by the shortage of skilled workers, loss of brand reputation, supply chain and the impacts of Brexit:

• Economic Concerns – 37% of businesses said economic concerns was one of their most pressing issues, with 61% more confident in their own business than the UK economy at 34%
• Shortage of Skilled Workforce – 28% of businesses indicated that a shortage of skilled labour was one of the most pressing risks, rising to 38% of mid-sized businesses and 40% of larger corporates
• Loss of Brand and Reputation – 26% of businesses told us the risk of brand and reputation loss is a great concern, which encapsulates the interconnectedness of these risks
• Brexit – the impacts of Brexit have continued to cause uncertainty, with 25% of businesses attributing this as their biggest risk
• Supply chain - 53% of businesses said they are undertaking, or planning to undertake, changes to de-risk their supply chain. This increases to two-thirds of mid-sized businesses and corporates who plan on undertaking a review

Surprisingly, even though this research was conducted just two months prior to COP26, climate change risks failed to reach the top ten for the second year running. Whilst our research shows businesses aren't as focused on ESG over and above the more immediate issues, we have seen a rise in the number of businesses considering ESG as important to the way they conduct business (a 5% year on year rise) and over two thirds viewed it as both urgent and worrying.

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