Almost three quarters of business leaders want more financial support from the government, a poll has revealed.

The survey of 1,118 senior executives by the Chartered Management Institute also found that 57 per cent think that flexible working regulations must be applied across the whole workforce, and 51 per cent think that there should be a reduction in business taxes. But only 15 per cent believe that the government “can do little to affect the downturn”.

The CMI is calling on the government to offer tax relief to businesses that provide training opportunities for staff.

“Employers should be encouraged to develop staff because a depleted organisation with fewer skills to call on is less likely to survive the recession,” chief executive Ruth Spellman said.

“It isn’t a question of bailing out businesses or massaging unemployment figures, but creating a strategy for survival that reduces redundancy rates over the long term,” she added.