All about business

A majority of businesses in New York are optimistic about the prospects for economic recovery — but it doesn’t meant they’ll be hiring soon.

So says a new survey from The Business Council of New York State, a 3,000-member lobby in Albany that includes many of the state’s largest employers.

"Our members believe their businesses will grow and their bottom lines will improve over the next 18 months," says Ken Adams, president and CEO of the Business Council. "They are not reaching for any champagne yet, but they see economic improvement ahead in 2011."

About 300 of the lobby’s members responded to the electronic survey done in July.

Of that group, 41 percent expect revenue to grow over the next six months. That figure jumps to 59 percent when asked about expectations over the next 12 to 18 months.

But it appears the revenue growth will not coincide with big jumps in new hires.

A full 60 percent of respondents said they will keep their workforces the same size over the next six months, compared with 27 percent who plan to hire.

Employers were also asked about hiring plans over the next 12 to 18 months. Just more than half said they will not expand their workforces during that time, compared with 40 percent who plan to increase their head counts.

Employers in The Business Council survey were unanimous in their opinion of state government.

No employers said they were satisfied with the way state government is operating. Thirteen percent said they were somewhat dissatisfied, while 87 percent said they were not satisfied at all.

Also, close to 80 percent of respondents said they’d seen an increase in state regulatory activities that come with fines, fees or penalties.

A majority of respondents said neither their state senators nor their state assembly members deserve re-election this fall.

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