Alberta tops for small business optimism

Alberta small business owners remain a confident bunch. The latest Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey found confidence rose to 66.0 in the last month — the sixth-consecutive monthly increase.

Businesses in Western Canada are generally the most optimistic with Alberta (72.3) and Saskatchewan (70.1) again atop the list.

Confidence levels among small business owners in Alberta remained relatively unchanged from January.

“Alberta’s small business owners were the most confident in the country. But while other provinces are gaining in confidence, Alberta remains relatively flat,” said Richard Truscott, the CFIB’S Alberta director.

“It is also interesting to note there has been a shift in the agriculture sector and it now contains some of the most confident entrepreneurs in the province,”

When it comes to hiring plans, 24 per cent of entrepreneurs stated they planned to hire more full-time workers in the next three to four months. That compares to 26 per cent in January.

In terms of their main operating challenges, 46 per cent of Alberta business owners surveyed cited a shortage of skilled labour, the same level as in January. The percentage of entrepreneurs who identified a shortage of unskilled or semi-skilled labour as their main operating challenge remained steady at 23 per cent.

“Alberta’s labour shortages continue to be a top challenge for our members. As long as the economy is growing, it will remain a big issue for entrepreneurs,” Truscott said.

Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, an index level above 50 means owners expecting their businesses’ 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.