British Columbia’s small business optimism grew slightly in April, improving half a point to 71.9, second only to Saskatchewan.
Hiring intentions remained stable, with 26 per cent of owners planning to add full-time employees in the next few months, compared to only four per cent expecting to shed staff. Thirty-eight per cent of owners say the state of their business is good, versus 12 per cent who say it is bad – unchanged from last month.
“B.C.’s small business optimism has held for several months in a row, and this stability suggests that confidence in our provincial economy has taken root,” says Kimball Kastelen, CFIB’s B.C. policy analyst.
“We are in a much better place than where we were a year ago. That said, B.C. small businesses will be facing new challenges, such as MMBC recycling costs, and we will be watching closely to evaluate their impact.”
To view the full reports, visit http://cfib.ca/barometer.