Friday, 1st December, 2017
A Chamber survey of businesses in the Northern Region (Taupo to Northland, Taranaki to Hawkes Bay) reveals that business confidence has fallen dramatically.
When questioned on their view of the NZ economy in the next six months, only 19% believed it would improve and 32% believed it would deteriorate. (This compares with 31% and 11% respectively in the last quarterly survey.)
Auckland Chamber Chief Executive Michael Barnett said he believed a significant part of the reason was the election and uncertainty created by a change in Government. “Business operates best in an environment of certainty – when business is confident it employsand invests ,” he said.
“The uncertainty around immigration and investment intentions in infrastructure adds to this, but it should be short-lived once the new Government clarified its priorities,” he added.
The survey also revealed that employers were continuing to have difficulty finding the right people with the right skills, with 44% of respondents indicating difficulty recruiting the right talent to grow their business.
