Report: Mass. employers less positive in December
The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (A.I.M.) Business Confidence Index was off three-tenths of a point in December, but completed its strongest quarter in two years, despite Bay State employers feeling less positive about economic conditions.
The report showed that survey respondents were more positive about national conditions, perhaps due to rising stocks and falling energy prices. On a national level, the U.S. Index of national business conditions added 3.8 points in December to 60.2, said John Bitner, chief Economist at Eastern Bank. The Massachusetts Index of conditions lost 1.1 points, falling to 54.6
Confidence levels among manufacturing employers and in the state outside of Boston outperformed other employers and within the metropolitan region, said Sara Johnson, Managing Director of Global Macroeconomics at Global Insights Inc.
However, conditions in Massachusetts are still a cause for concern, said Richard Lord, president and CEO of A.I.M. "The ratings of our state's business climate continue to lag, and there are no sustained indications of a surge in job creation, at a time when we are still 150,000 below our peak employment."
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