Confidence rises in WA

SMALL business confidence is on the up in WA, according to the May 2000 Small Business Opinion Survey conducted by the Small Business Development Corporation.

Almost half of small business operators said they believed operating conditions for their business had improved in the past year.

Half of the respondents reported an increase in turnover and 40 per cent said profitability increased during the same period.

Almost 80 per cent of respondents said their business activities would remain the same or improve over the next six months.

The survey also indicated that employment levels were expected to increase from an average of 5.1 to 6.1 employees per business.

In regional areas, 77 per cent of small business operators said they believed conditions for their business would stay the same or get better over the next six months.