Results of the August Survey of Nebraska Business: September 4, 2015

Respondents to the August Survey of Nebraska Business had a positive outlook for sales and employment growth over the next six months. To be specific, 28 percent of respondents to the August 2015 survey expected to increase sales over the next 6 months while 18 percent expected to decrease sales. Respondents also were more likely to plan to increase employment (12%) than reduce it (5%). Businesses in the Omaha and Central Nebraska regions were the most optimistic about their outlook for the next six months, particularly for employment. The outlook also was positive in Northeast and Southeast Nebraska and neutral in West Nebraska. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was the top issue named by 34 percent of respondents. The quality and availability of labor was named as the top issue by 15 percent. The share of respondents choosing the costs of goods and services as the top issue was 12 percent. The share choosing the costs of goods and service was higher than in recent months