Bay Area (Small) Business Confidence Ticks Up

From the Chronicle:

The numbers aren’t huge, according to the Bay Area Council’s quarterly Business Confidence Survey – just 20 percent of the 498 senior executives responding said they plan new hires in the next six months – but it’s better than another kick in the teeth.

The number of companies expecting layoffs – 17 percent – is certainly less grim than the business and public policy group’s previous survey, which had 42 percent projecting layoffs, with just 10 percent looking at new hires.

This time around, 60 percent of executives in the wholesale trade said they would be hiring this spring and summer. Business owners in the leisure and hospitality sectors also forecast a net plus, or at least no change, in their workforces.

That being said, “57 percent of [large company] CEOs surveyed expect to see layoffs, compared with 8 percent posting job openings,” so keep protecting those teeth.
∙ Bay Area Council: More hiring than laying off [SFGate]
∙ Bay Area Business Confidence Up (Along With Pink Slips) [SocketSite]