Mass. Employer Confidence Takes a Hit
Confidence among Massachusetts employers stumbled in March for the first time in four months, but remained in optimistic territory, according to the latest survey from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
U.S. Growth Lifts Mass. Employer Confidence
Massachusetts businesses kicked off the new year with a sunny disposition, with business confidence among employers surveyed by Associated Industries of Massachusetts rising to an 11-month high in January.
In Biz Address, Healey Touts Investment, Spending Restraint
Months after a coalition of regional business chambers warned Beacon Hill politicians to rein in spending, Gov. Maura Healey pitched her new state budget recommendation to members of the state’s business community on Thursday as “balanced” and “responsible.”
Employer Confidence Rose Heading into New Year
Associated Industries of Massachusetts cited “strong signals” of more moderate inflation, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s suggestion last month that interest rate increases appear to be over for now and that there may be rate reductions in 2024.
Mass. Biz Confidence Pulled in Different Directions
Confidence among Massachusetts businesses tipped from ever so slightly pessimistic in September to ever so slightly optimistic in October, with market forces pulling firms in opposite directions.
Healey Housing Approach Takes Shape
While the wait continues for a housing bond bill, the Healey administration’s housing production vision is slowly coming into view, and it will feature more than 20 policy changes designed to drive up the state’s lowest-in-the-nation vacancy rate.
Multiple Reports Point to Brightening Economic Prospects for Mass.
The Massachusetts economy keeps driving ahead and that recession out on the horizon doesn’t seem to be getting any closer.
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.
