Nebraska business confidence was mixed in November, according to the latest monthly survey from the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Business Confidence Index-Nebraska had a value of 99.7, just below the neutral level of 100.
The neutral index value, however, reflects a difference between recent conditions and expectations about the next six months. The recent conditions sub-index, which reflects the change in sales and employment during recent months, was below the neutral level, at a value of 94.6. The expectations sub-index, by contrast, was above the neutral level, at 104.7.
“Businesses plan to increase employment over the next six months,” said Eric Thompson, an economist who serves as bureau director.
The COVID-19 pandemic, customer demand and labor availability are the primary concerns for Nebraska businesses. Thirty-three percent of respondents mentioned the pandemic as their top business concern. Another 26% of businesses focused on customer demand without specifically mentioning COVID-19, and 14% listed the quality and availability of labor as their top concern.
The surveys are sent each month to 500 randomly selected Nebraska businesses. During November, 75 businesses responded to the Survey of Nebraska Business, for a response rate of 15%.
