Many small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners are having to find ways of cutting costs in order to survive the recession, it is claimed, which may encourage them to get advice on debt management.

According to uSwitchforbusiness.com, this is the case for 59 per cent of business owners, with 34 per cent reporting a drop in demand for their services.

Further statistics reveal over half (59 per cent) of SMEs are finding the current trading environment difficult and 33 per cent are experiencing cashflow concerns.

The research by uSwitchforbusiness.com also shows many people believe the government is not doing enough to help owners of SMEs, with ten per cent saying they are unable to get credit from their bank and 23 per cent noticing a tightening of credit terms.

According to the latest statistics released by NS&I, 47 per cent of the population manage to save regularly, remaining consistent for the third quarter.

Furthermore, 53 per cent of people do not save regularly each month and out of these, 21 per cent do not save at all.