HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 30, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- While feeling cautious about recovery from the current national economic slowdown, business leaders in Pennsylvania expect future sales to grow and they will make limited investments in their companies over the next 12 months.
Those conclusions were drawn from a Zogby International economic survey commissioned by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry to gauge the current status of the state's business climate.
Businesses also expect employment to stay the same and possibly grow, and expect the salaries of their employees to grow. "This is good news for employees in this state," said Maura Donley, Vice President of the Pennsylvania Chamber.
PA Chamber member businesses were also asked how they feel about the performance of elected officials. Gov. Ed Rendell has some work cut out for him, with 57 percent giving his current job performance a negative rating in general and a slight majority (51 percent) disagreeing with the way the governor is handling economic matters. Jobs, the economy and taxes are weak points for the governor.
"The governor has been in office for only nine months," said Donley. "During that time he has been focused on a difficult budget process. He has been consumed by the issues surrounding the budget he introduced in February. He has had very little time to concentrate on forging relationships with various interest groups in the Commonwealth. When this budget is finally put to bed, we look forward to working with the governor to help grow the economy and foster job creation."
Business leaders also disapprove of the job performance of senior U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, while President George Bush and U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum scored high approval ratings.
Another noteworthy survey finding is a slight increase from last year in the number of businesses that would consider leaving the state due to the current business climate. While 54 percent said they would not consider leaving, 36 percent said they would, up from 27 percent in the PA Chamber's 2002 Economic Survey.
Business taxes were again listed as the top issue that would drive business out of state, and remains one of the three most important issues business leaders hope to see the General Assembly address. Health-care costs and lawsuit abuse also top that list.
Complete survey results can be found on the PA Chamber website at www.pachamber.org.
The PA Chamber of Business and Industry logo is available at:http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=353