Sangamon County employers are more optimistic on sales and job growth in the first survey taken since the state budget deadlock ended, though expectations for the overall economy have changed little since the fall of 2016.
State government finances remained a top concern among nearly 60 percent of 233 employers who responded to the fall 2017 Sangamon County Economic Outlook Survey.
The survey was released Tuesday during the annual economic outlook breakfast of The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, held at the University of Illinois Springfield.
One-third of respondents said they expect the local economy to improve in the next year, about the same percentage as a year ago.
More than half, 55 percent, said they expect improved sales and revenue in the coming year compared to 46 percent in the fall of 2016.
Job growth was expected by 32 percent, compared with 27 percent last year.
“There’s a gradual improvement in overall expectations for the economy. It’s still not robust, but it’s an improvement over what we had been seeing,” said executive director David Racine at the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership.
The UIS office conducts the spring and fall survey for the Springfield chamber.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 14, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
