A Chamber survey of businesses in the Auckland region reveals that business confidence is slowly improving following its dramatic fall last quarter.
When questioned on their view whether the general business situation in New Zealand would improve or deteriorate over the next six months, businesses showed a small improvement from last November’s net -15 per cent result to now be net -9 per cent.
Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett said it may be a sign of business coming to grips with the new Government and the sentiment it’s providing.
“Nevertheless, Labour still has plenty of work to do to restore confidence with large sections of the business community, with almost 30 per cent of those surveyed still believing things will deteriorate over the next six months.”
The survey also revealed that employers were continuing to have difficulty finding the right people with the right skills.
“Nearly half of all businesses surveyed said it was now harder to find skilled or specialist staff than before the election. This should be of concern to the Minister of Immigration.”
Businesses also highlighted infrastructure and immigration as two of the most important factors affecting future business success in Auckland.