Small firms set to hire A recent poll conducted by specialist SME lender Recognise Bank has found that 62% of small businesses are planning to recruit more staff as lockdown restrictions are eased. CEO Jason Oakley said: "Employment is a great barometer for confidence and the fact that six out of 10 SMEs are planning to recruit over the coming months is great news for workers and even better news for the economy." We are already seeing our clients pushing their businesses forward on the back of better than expected results for 2020.