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US business confidence seen at 20-year high
| More bad news for the Democrats. |
Confidence among US business leaders is stronger than it has been for 20 years, according to a long-running measure of boardroom attitudes, as rising profits finally encourage companies to start hiring. The quarterly survey by the Conference Board confirms last week's official employment data suggesting concerns about a jobless recovery may be waning. In recent quarters, companies have been wary of hiring staff, preferring to make greater use of existing capacity, but continued growth and record profitability appears to be convincing managers that productivity improvements alone may not be enough to meet rising demand. Half the chief executives who responded to the Conference Board's lastest poll said they expected employment in their industry to rise, compared with just 12 per cent who predicted a fall - the most optimistic response on jobs since the research group began its analysis in 1976.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-04-06 |
