By Katie Schubert
Omaha, NE – Third quarter economic indicators from the Iowa Business Council show fewer employers are hiring or making investments in capital projects.
The economic indicators were released Thursday. The overall index was 57.3. While still in positive territory, that's down eight points from last quarter's survey. Capital spending and employment were down in the third quarter.
But Elliott Smith of the Iowa Business Council says they're encouraged by strong sales figures. "If sales remain strong, and expectations of our business leaders who participate in the survey are expecting strong sales here in to the first quarter of next year, I think you'll see additional investment in business infrastructure and in human resources, meaning they're hiring more people, that would be our hope."
An indicator above 50 shows employers are generally positive about the economy over the next six months. The Iowa Business Council report is based on a survey of 19 corporations.