Skip to main content
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Search

Full Article

Visit Apply Give

Nebraska Businesses Remain Positive

The latest survey from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bureau of Business Research indicates that Nebraska businesses continue to be positive about the outlook for the economy in coming months.
 
31% of respondents predicted an increase in sales over the next six months versus just 18% expecting a decline in sales. Further, 10% of businesses expect to expand employment while just 4% expect to reduce it.
 
In response to an open-ended question about the most important issues facing their businesses, 6.5 in 10 owners cited concerns about business operations such as customer demand, business costs, and labor quality while 3.5 in 10 cited public policy issues such as the Affordable Care Act, government regulations, and taxes.
 
Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research, said the response “remained positive.”
 
“Respondents to the April Survey of Nebraska Business were positive in their outlook for sales and employment at their own businesses,” he said.
 
The Survey of Nebraska Business is mailed to 500 randomly selected local businesses of all sizes each month, asking owners and managers about their economic expectations for the next six months. They are also asked to list the top concern facing their businesses.  The March survey had 106 respondents, for a 21 percent response rate.
 
Responses from Omaha Metropolitan Area businesses also were positive. Omaha area responses were combined from the months of March and April, 2014, in order to have a sufficient sample size. 38% of Omaha area businesses expected to expand sales while 20% expected to expand employment. Omaha area respondents were relatively focused on concerns about business operations rather than public policy issues.            
Published: May 9, 2014