The UK’s insolvency data is essentially a real-time health monitor for the economy. Most people ignore it. That’s a mistake.
Construction accounts for roughly 17% of all UK corporate insolvencies — consistently the highest of any sector. Hospitality runs it close. But here’s what’s less reported: professional services insolvencies quietly climbed through 2023 and into 2024, a sector that was supposed to be recession-proof.
Retail, predictably, continues its slow bleed. But the interesting story isn’t the big-name collapses everyone reads about. It’s the mid-tier suppliers — the businesses three steps behind the brands — going under with almost no coverage.
What does this actually tell us?
Sector-level insolvency data reveals which industries are carrying structural problems versus temporary cash flow pain. A spike in insolvencies across recruitment firms, for example, signals something different from a spike in construction. One tracks labour market sentiment. The other often tracks credit tightening and delayed payment chains.
For anyone extending credit, vetting suppliers, or entering a new market — ignoring this data isn’t neutral. It’s a decision to fly blind.
Borsch.ai tracks insolvency patterns across all 5.68 million UK registered companies, broken down by sector, region, and company age. You can identify which industries are deteriorating before it hits the news cycle, and cross-reference that against specific companies you’re monitoring or considering working with.
The data exists. It’s public. The question is whether you’re reading it, or waiting until it’s too late.
Explore sector-level company intelligence at https://borsch.ai
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