Dutch business confidence increased slightly in the second quarter of this year, after the mood was already positive in the first quarter. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) together with the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Institute for the Construction Industry and the employers’ associations MKB-Nederland and VNO-NCW.
According to the so-called Conjunctuurenquête Nederland, the mood indicator is now at a level of 7.5. This keeps the index finger moving up. In the fourth quarter of last year, the mood was still slightly negative.
catering industry
Researchers say trust is good in most industries. Confidence increased the most in the hospitality sector, thanks to optimism on realized and forecasted turnover. Trust is once again the highest in the construction industry. Entrepreneurs in this sector are much more positive about the development of production than in the previous quarter.
By contrast, business confidence declined most markedly in the automotive trade and repair sector. The mood in the transportation and warehousing sector has also dropped sharply and has even turned negative.
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Vulnerable
MKB-Nederland and VNO-NCW said the figures were in line with the contraction in the Dutch economy reported by Statistics Netherlands on Tuesday. While we see a slight increase in business confidence, the underlying situation remains fragile.
According to business associations, there is a sum of problems. ‘Especially the shortage of workers and means of production continues to annoy entrepreneurs and is striking in the new figures. Meanwhile, “insufficient demand” is also becoming a problem for more and more entrepreneurs. It’s also concerning that for five consecutive quarters, there have been more business owners reporting a decline in profitability than an increase in profitability.’
Source: BNR
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