The South Australian Business Chamber Today — Thursday 4 November, 2021
This week, the South Australian Business Chamber released the results of the Survey of Business Expectations for the September quarter, undertaken in partnership with our valued partners William Buck.
Now in its 41st year, the quarterly survey found that business confidence has held tight at a 106.1 point confidence index, 1.6 points higher than last quarter.
Unfortunately, general business conditions fell to 92.7 points (down from 105.3 points), primarily because of the July lockdown and the associated ongoing restrictions.
Unsurprisingly, the ongoing impact of closed borders, a lack of skilled workers and the increasing cost of materials remain the biggest issues facing businesses. We hope that the easing of border restrictions from the end of November will help to alleviate these problems.
The survey also measured business sentiment towards COVID-19 vaccinations. It found that 54 per cent of businesses want government-mandated vaccines for certain industries only.
The findings indicate that business owners are looking to the government to take responsibility for vaccination mandates, removing the prospect of strained relations with their workforce should this decision be left solely in their hands.
The majority of the South Australian Business Chamber members maintain that South Australia must do everything it can to achieve the highest possible rate of vaccination, in order to return the freedoms of our state and to allow businesses to trade at full capacity.
The South Australian Business Chamber appreciates that many businesses are still doing it tough. With no clear date on when restrictions may fully ease, industries such as hospitality, events and tourism may miss their all-important busy December trading period.
The South Australian Business Chamber will continue to advocate on behalf of its members for any measure that will optimise the vaccination rate in South Australia, allowing us to safely reopen our borders and ease COVID restrictions in a timely and safe manner.
