Business outlook: A story of maintained Confidence

Business outlook: A story of maintained Confidence

The latest Chamber survey of business confidence in the Northern region tells a story of maintained confidence for business and a positive outlook for the next 3 months.

The general outlook for New Zealand was down slightly on last quarter but holding at a high level by historical standards.

Chamber spokesperson Dave Burnett, Chief Executive suggested this could reflect sentiment created from lower than expected dairy pay outs but noted that this may be offset by lower food and fuel prices New Zealand was experiencing at the moment.

Of concern for any economy must be the fact that 34% of respondents to the survey suggested they were having difficulty finding the right people with the right skills – a constant for any growing economy.

The survey also reflected strong employment intentions and hours to be worked.

Other survey results:

• 18% of employers expect full-time employee numbers to be up

• 44% expect to work longer hours to meet rising demand

• Selling prices expected to increase

• Profitability is expected to increase

• National and Export intentions are down slightly.

ENDS

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