Nebraska businesses remain optimistic in their outlook for both sales and employment over the next six months, according to a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
More than one in three businesses responding to the June Survey of Nebraska Business expected sales to increase over the next six months, compared to just 16 percent who predicted a decline in sales.
Fourteen percent of respondents expected to add employees in the next six months, compared to 7 percent who expected to reduce employment.
Most important issues facing each business, June 2015
“Nebraska business have been optimistic about both sales and employment throughout 2015,” said UNL economist Eric Thompson, the bureau’s director. “This suggests strong growth in the Nebraska economy during the second half of the year.”
Customer demand was the most common business concern, cited by 37 percent of respondents. The quality and availability of labor was cited second most often, chosen by 19 percent of respondents. Labor availability has been among the top business concerns all year, Thompson noted, reflecting the strength of the labor market in Nebraska.
The surveys are sent each month to 500 randomly selected Nebraska businesses. In June, 173 businesses responded, for a response rate of 35 percent. Thompson combined May and June 2015 responses to analyze economic trends by region.
“Businesses in the Omaha area were especially optimistic,” Thompson said, while businesses in West Nebraska were only slightly optimistic and businesses in Northeast Nebraska were neutral. The outlook of businesses in Southeast and Central Nebraska were optimistic, with roughly the same level of optimism as the state overall.
Published: July 10, 2015