The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier published an excellent editorial in today's paper. The editorial notes recent surveys showing that Iowa's business and economic climate are improving. Recent surveys by the Iowa Business Council and Creighton University are noted. These surveys show that Iowa's economic climate and sentiments toward the economy are definitely improving and Iowa is moving to a better, brighter place.
Here's an excerpt from the editorial:
Perhaps the long winter of our discontent has begun to thaw with the onset of summer.
After more than two years of bad headlines relating to the economy, many of the signs have started to consistently point toward brighter days ahead.
The most recent evidence comes from the Iowa Business Council, a group that includes the top executives of 20 of the state's largest businesses and the presidents of the three state universities. The council reported this week that sales, employment and capital spending are all trending "markedly higher" in the coming six months.
Of course, those numbers are gaining over the quite low benchmarks set during the recession, but a trend toward better economic times should be relished nonetheless.
Economic experts typically agree that employment is among the last parts of the economy to rebound after a recession.
The Iowa Business Council reported half of its members expect hiring needs will grow in the next six months, encouraging news.
Iowa's unemployment rate stood at 7.4 percent in March, well short of the 9.9 percent national rate, but still far above the 4 to 5 percent rate the state has had for most of the past two decades.
The needed business activity that would create jobs looks even better than the employment outlook in the Iowa Business Council report. Of the council's members, 75 percent expected business to grow in coming months.