Staffing a priority in Tablelands

MORE than a third of Tablelands businesses are planning to increase investment and more than 20 per cent hope to hire additional staff.

The results come from Tablelands Regional Council’s recent Tablelands Business Confidence Survey.

Mayor Joe Paronella said the annual survey was an initiative of the TRC Economic Development Strategy 2018-22 and asked local businesses to provide a measure of the region’s economy based on how optimistic they were about their future.

He said it provided a guide to growing businesses and employment.

“The most positive things for our local businesses are customer loyalty and brand recognition, and this is a real reminder of the importance of shopping locally,” he said.

“Rising business costs are a concern and that’s something we’re going to pay particular attention to by engaging with businesses … to identify what costs and regulations they’re most concerned about.

“The results of this survey will guide our economic development activities throughout 2019, including our quarterly business forums and sessions during small business week in May. It’s good to see local business are positive about the future, although I recognise they are cautious, and that there is a strong demand for local products and services.”