Prospect of Soft Landing Helping to Lift Employer Confidence
Bay State businesses are feeling a summertime dash of sunshine, with AIM’s Business Confidence Index back in an optimistic range for the first time since April.
High-Profile Housing Bill Draws Support, Cautious Responses
Will the Yes In My Back Yard bill, recently filed on Beacon Hill, might well become called the Maybe In My Back Yard bill, based on the cool reception to some of the legislation’s key provisions?
Advocates, Legislators Line Up to Back YIMBY Bill
The state legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing heard a parade of testimony from housing advocates, their colleagues and ordinary voters in support of a bill that aims to supercharge zoning reforms statewide.
State Jobless Rate Sinks to Record Low 2.6 Percent
The Massachusetts economy continues to hum along in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption, a trend that business leaders and analysts say could forecast more inflationary pressure on the horizon.
Talent Shortage Helps Keep Mass. Biz Confidence in Pessimistic Zone
Workforce shortages continue to hamper business confidence, with an index encompassing 140 Massachusetts employers barely showing signs of improvement in June.
Thomson Takes Reins of Business Group AIM
A leadership transition is underway at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, one that will see president and CEO John Regan hand the reins of one of the state’s leading business groups to Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Brooke Thomson at the end of this year.
AIM CEO Rings Alarm on ‘Dire’ Challenges
The potent hiring and retention challenges facing Massachusetts employers have been well-documented for months, and one of the state’s leading business voices has growing concerns that the existing workforce challenges are “merely a harbinger of things to come.”
Employer Confidence Up to Year’s High in November
Massachusetts employers in November reported the highest degree of confidence in their economic outlook since September 2021, according to the latest monthly report from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
Mass. Business’ Optimism Faded in October
With interest rate hikes piling on, Massachusetts employers’ confidence slid down to nearly pessimistic levels last month.
Mass. Employers Teeter On Edge of Pessimism
Recession and inflation concerns conspired in June to leave Massachusetts employers on the verge of switching to a pessimistic posture.
Mass. Biz Confidence At 18-Month Low
After rising slightly in each of the previous three months, business confidence in Massachusetts took a significant tumble in May.
Surveys Show Mixed Views Of Business Climate
Associated Industries of Massachusetts reported Monday that employers grew more confident in April despite high inflation and the economic contraction in the first quarter.
Growing Uncertainty Pushed Biz Confidence Down in August
Having risen to levels not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic in June and July, business confidence took a step back in August as Massachusetts employers dealt with waves of Delta variant cases, worker shortages and supply chain disruptions, Associated Industries of Massachusetts said.
Mass. Employer Confidence Rebounds Unevenly in Latest Survey
A strong outlook among manufacturers and a sense among all employers that economic conditions are improving helped drive business confidence up in July to a level not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Associated Industries of Massachusetts said.
Mass. Employers Set to Ride Confidence Wave Into Spring
Confidence among Massachusetts employers continued to build in February, and has risen in seven of the last nine months.
Businesses Say Pandemic Proves It’s Easy to Leave Massachusetts.
It has never been easier for businesses and jobs to flee Massachusetts in droves and the House and Senate should think long and hard about that possibility before considering new or higher taxes on companies, some of the most influential industry groups this week warned Democratic leaders.
Biz Confidence Remains in Pessimistic Territory
Business confidence rose slightly in August but remains well below its level of a year ago, with a predominantly pessimistic outlook still prevailing.
Business Confidence Nearly in Optimistic Territory
Business confidence in Massachusetts rebounded in June in lockstep with the reopening of economic sectors that had been sealed off by government order to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
Business Confidence Ticks Up. Will Loan Demand Follow?
Despite the uncertainty that remains around public health – which will likely govern near-term demand for commercial loans of all types – leaders at some of the state’s largest community banks say signs point to an economic turnaround.
Business Confidence Edges Up After Dismal March, April
Business confidence remains in pessimistic territory, but analysts said Tuesday that a major employer survey is beginning to show signs of a brightening view now that Massachusetts has begun to restart economic activity.
