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Little interest in another Wellington business survey


Some Wellington business owners appear more confident about the outlook for the national economy than they do about their own – but the response was very low.

Blair Cunningham
Tue, 18 Sep 2012

A poorly supported business survey shows earthquake worries are still said to have an impact on business confidence in Wellington.

Only 150 replies (13.6%) were received to a survey sent to about 1100 business owners in the first week of September, suggesting they have better things to do than fill out surveys about earthquakes, among other things.

According to the chamber of commerce, 80% of respondents reported an increase in insurance premiums as a direct result of the Canterbury earthquakes, while 11.3% have seen a rise in the cost of rent or other building costs.

Nearly 15% of respondents have either recently moved to accommodate earthquake strengthening or are planning to move.

Business confidence overall has slipped back, with just 7.9% of respondents expecting the local economy to improve in 12 months. While confidence in the Wellington economy has dropped, for the national economy has jumped, from 8.5% last December to 34.1% this month.

The figures were better when people were asked about their own business – nearly 47% said they expected an improvement.

Finding staff appears a hard task in the present environment, with nearly a quarter saying it is tougher to find skilled staff now than 12 months ago.

However, chamber president Richard Stone says he is encouraged to hear 28.7% of businesses are expecting to hire more fulltime workers, while 16% of respondents are expecting to reduce their staffing numbers.

He says the public sector cutbacks facing Wellington appear to be affecting business, with some losing customers as a consequence.

Confidence has also taken a hit because there is uncertainty about the extent of the planned cuts.

“Business confidence in Wellington is relatively subdued at the present time which is not surprising given the state of the global economy, public sector layoffs and the issues associated with perceptions around earthquakes.”

Blair Cunningham
Tue, 18 Sep 2012
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Little interest in another Wellington business survey
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