Bay business confidence bright before Xmas

Chief executive of Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Dave Burnett. Photo/file

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce say business confidence is looking bright in the lead up to Christmas this year.

In a media release yesterday, chief executive Dave Burnett said business confidence rose in the final 2014 quarter, following three months of election uncertainty.

Confidence overall was down on the highs of the early part of the year with a net 42 per cent of businesses optimistic that business conditions would improve.

A concern for business was that more than 30 per cent of those seeking to employ skilled people were having difficulty finding suitable employees. This was a constraint for their growth and will constrain the northern region's ability to grow, he said.

Other survey results:
• 20 per cent of employers expect employee numbers to be up
• Costs expected to hold
• Selling prices expected to be up
• Profitability is holding
• Export intentions up