The New Jersey Business and Industry Association recently released its 58th annual Business Outlook Survey, and the overall forecast is encouraging.
BY SUN STAFF
Here’s a piece of news you might not have heard in a while in New Jersey: Small business owners are excited about the future.
The New Jersey Business and Industry Association recently released its 58th annual Business Outlook Survey, and the overall forecast is quite encouraging.
According to the survey, 29 percent of business owners said they would increase employment in 2017, compared to 9 percent that said they would decrease –a “strong” net-positive of 20 percent, the association’s president, Michele Siekerka, said.
Of the 1,046 responses –most of who were small business owners — 61 percent said they would give wage increases between 1 percent and 4.9 percent, and another 8 percent said they would give wage increases above that range.
The concerns among the small business owners aren’t shocking: They worry about the cost of health care, property taxes and the general cost of doing business in New Jersey, along with the potential bump to a $15 mini-mum wage.
These are all topics that our new governor –whomever it may be –will have to attack head on.
Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski and fellow Democrat Phil Murphy have already announced they will run for governor, as has Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli. Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, both Republicans, are also expected to throw their hats into the ring for the state’s top governmental position.
It’s just a shame he or she won’t be able to start the job until 2018, after next year’s highly-anticipated gubernatorial election.
