Small business optimism slowly inching upward in New Brunswick

Sign up here for automatic notification of results. Enter your email address:

For more details

New Brunswick Barometer

February 2012

Of further interest:

• Business Barometer: Small business optimism rises slightly heading into 2012

Optimism among Canadian small and mid-size businesses continues to improve, but at a glacial pace. CFIB's Business Barometer Index ended January at 65.2-just slightly above the 65.0 registered in December and not enough to be a statistically significant movement.

The East-West divide on economic performance continues. Alberta businesses lead the way as Canada's most optimistic with an index level at a very healthy 73.3. In fact, all four Western provinces are well above the national average. Ontario and Quebec businesses slide in just below average, while those in the Atlantic region remain least optimistic by a good measure. All of this is outlined in the attached Business Barometer for January 2012.

The following are some provincial findings of note:

• The January index for New Brunswick is 61.7, up nearly two points from its December level of 59.8 but remaining below the national average of 65.2
• 41 per cent of businesses in NB say the overall state of business is good, while 40 per cent say is it satisfactory and 20 per cent say it is bad
• Employment plans remain a concern with 12 per cent planning to increase full time employment levels while 16 per cent of NB businesses plan to decrease full time work. 
• Fuel and energy continues to lead as the cost pressure of greatest concern to New Brunswick business owners.

Based on a scale between 0 and 100, an index level above 50 means owners expecting their business' performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance. According to past results, index levels normally range between 65 and 75 when the economy is growing. The index summarizes results from the last three months in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and from the last four months in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

For further information please contact Richard Dunn at (506) 855-2526.

As Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses, CFIB is Powered by Entrepreneurs^TM. Established in 1971, CFIB takes direction from more than 108,000 members in every sector nationwide, giving independent business a strong and influential voice at all levels of government and helping to grow the economy.