(file image) Photo: mrdoomits/123RF
There are signs business confidence is on the rise, in the latest New Zealand Institute of Economic Research quarterly survey.
In the last quarter of 2023, a net 10 percent of firms said they expected a deterioration in general economic conditions over the coming months, compared to a net 49 percent of firms feeling the same way the quarter before.
The study also showed businesses were finding it significantly easier to find labour and that there are signs of an ease in inflationary pressures.
Business confidence in the retail sector has seen a significant shift too.
A net 44 percent of retailers expected an improvement in general economic conditions, compared to a net 66 percent of shop owners expecting a deterioration in the economic outlook in the previous quarter.
The change shows the retail sector turning from the most downbeat sector to the most optimistic.