B.C. Business Confidence Rebounds
Prince George, B.C.- According to the latest monthly Business Barometer survey results from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), BC’s small business optimism was up 2.2 points in October to 65.5. That increase bucks the previous three month trend when saw confidence fall a full 6 points. The October 2016 confidence level is nearly the same as it was in the same month a year ago when it hit 65.7.
“The downward trend seen in recent months (in BC) has reversed, as British Columbia’s small businesses are feeling fairly confident in October,” says BC economist Aaron Aerts, “Business optimism is back in that healthy range above 65, suggesting the economy is heating up. BC is now home to the second most confident entrepreneurs nationally, just barely trailing PEI.”
An index level over 50 means business owners expect their business’ performance to improve in the next year and an index mark between 65 and 75 indicates the economy is growing at its potential.
Provincially, B.C. is now in second place among provinces and territories in Canada . At 65.5, BC is tied with Nova Scotia in second place, and well ahead of the national average which is 57.7.
Despite the improved confidence level in B.C., the percentage of small businesses planning to increase full time staff in the next three months has slipped 5 points from September, dropping to 17%. The good news is there was also a slight decline ( one percentage point) of those looking to cut back staff, as 13% said they may reduce staff levels.
Comments
If the futurist’s projection are right over 50% of the current jobs people do for a living will be displaced over the next few decades. When you consider that in 1900 agriculture alone took a full 50% of the entire working population just to grow enough grub to feed themselves and everyone else, and that level has now declined to less than 3% of the entire workforce, and we’re growing more grub for more people than ever before in human history, who can say with any certainty they’re wrong? For the same thing has happened in virtually every industry. Now for sure there have also been jobs created in field that didn’t previously exist, and there’s no doubt that will continue. But looking at the entire economy, in its totality, there is definitely overall ongoing job displacement. Some call it a rise in “efficiency”. Ever more output with continually less ‘labor’ input. It seems that we have solved the ‘production’ problem long ago. Today, it isn’t a scarcity of our needs and desires we have to overcome per se, but rather having the means to actually BUY what’s being produced. For when the job goes, the income goes, too. And the spending of it that’s required to move what’s been produced into final consumption. Currently we bridge that shortfall in incomes by a number of somewhat perverse ways. We try to export more than we import. But no country can continually do that. And trying to often causes us to have to pay MORE for our own production here than what we’re selling it abroad for. And worse, go further and further into debt to do it. Debt that in its totality will never be able to be repaid. Why doesn’t the CFIB and similar groups look at this ever growing problem? Why don’t our politicians of any stripe? Why do they pretend that if we could only have 100% full employment all our troubles would be over?
If recent autism trends continue then by 2035 one in two children will have autism due to administering too many vaccines at to young and age. At that point it’s lights out for society as we now know. We might be saved from some horrible disseases but we will have no one left to work in so many important sectors. Factor in the demographic gap of an aging society then truly more than 3/4 of the population will be supported by the ever smaller minority.
Small business free enterprise is dieing being squeezed out by ever larger corporate conglomerates powered by monopolistic centric free trade deals. There is a time coming where society will have gone full circle back to feudalism and the masses will be nothing more than needy surfs of their feudalistic corporate overlords.
Small business is being squeezed out by an inability to generate adequate profits for the owners to both make a decent living and repay their bank loans. The same thing is happening to large business. Their profits might be reported as being larger year by year in a dollar amount. But taken as a percentage of their sales? They’re falling, not rising. The only way for them to survive is to try to keep getting bigger. Eventually they realise they can’t keep doing that, and then they re-trench, hiving off parts of themselves to try to get back to their ‘core’ business. Which still doesn’t bring in the needed returns, and can’t be projected to do so long-term. To survive then, many of their controlling owners have their managers resort to buying back their own shares using retained earnings. They’re hoping that there’ll be an appreciation in their assets as a result of future inflation, and the controlling interests can eventually cash in by having some other large business buy them out. You can’t overcome this until you are able to make the financial system fully self liquidating, so that ALL ‘costs’ can be FULLY recovered in ‘prices’ as production become consumption.
More unfounded conspiracy theories from Dr. Eagle.
Eagle, I don’t usually read your posts because they are too long and boring and after this barn burner I certainly won’t anymore. You must be Jenny McCarthy or related to her and her stupid ideas. My whole family and extended family have been vaccinated for everything and out of probably 1000 people we don’t have one autistic relative.
I agree on one part of your comment about “efficiencies” in business, and the trend to have fewer humans actually doing any work. Here’s a few examples in varying degrees.
The starter job in McDonalds is no longer a guarantee. Have you noticed the kiosks popping up in McDonalds that are replacing the humans during the order process? The one I visit a few times a year went from five cash tills, down to two, and replaced the others with self-serve kiosks. Self-checkout in grocery stores, and buy online / pick-up in-store are other examples.
I had the opportunity to do a tour of the massive Canada Post sorting plant in Richmond. The parcel sorting system handles 4000 parcels per hour, and the main track moves at 22 km/h. The only human work done is placing parcels on the track, and removing the addressed “monos” (metal crates) after the system has filled them up with parcels. It’s all handled by bar codes and automation. The only time a human will sort a package is when it happens to be an odd shape.
Look in the near future when autonomous vehicles start to take over taxis and transport trucks.
The last point is my own futuristic thinking. I’m not in the construction industry so take it for what it’s worth. Robotic systems are already helping manufacture vehicles for us. Are we that far away from a system that can build a home? You input the frame design and the let the system go at it. There’s already been efficiency added in the construction industry. We used to build homes with hammer and nails. Then came the Air Framing Nailer. Now you can get a Framing Nailer that doesn’t even need an air compressor. More work done with fewer people.
3D printed houses are already being built in China .
I think what the politicos are all forgetting is that even if there is another ‘job’ created to replace the ones that are vanishing to automation, the ‘income’ paid out in respect of that ‘new’ job is a ‘cost’ that has to be recovered in the price of whatever goods or services THAT job produces, while the ‘old’ job that’s now been automated ALSO has some ‘costs’, only they’re not paid out to anyone as an ‘income’. They’re ‘allocated’ costs, for things like depreciation, etc., which still have to be recovered in prices. What the effect of this is is that we’re constantly, and increasingly, charging the buying public with amounts representing capital depreciation, as is only right and proper under any system of accountancy, but we’re not simultaneously crediting that consuming public with any amount representing capital APPRECIATION, which is, if progress means anything at all, always greater. Physically, as we get ever more ‘efficient’ prices should be continually falling, not rising. But that’s not what’s currently happening in most instances.
Fastest growing job market in Alberta is in the solar power sector . The government there has just days ago announced 36 more schools systems have gone to tender . They are popping up like mushrooms across the country from the 49th to the arctic .
How’s your system doing?
Take away the heavy subsidies, solar poof gone.
Tell that to vrec.ca they are also looking for more electricians . They are expanding at an incredible rate . The Lac La Hache Rolf Zeis memorial arena should talk to them . Talking to our government about hydro is useless.
I take it by avoiding the subject all together you don’t “walk the walk” but rather spout greenie talking points?
Why would I care if I didn’t have a vested interest slinky ? I ve tried to explain it to many not so bright people to no avail . So I don’t bother . Trolls are never satisfied anyway .
pretty easy to be the “fastest growing” when you pretty much start from almost zero while the rest of the province is in a horrible slump.
Ataloss, your green power comes at a very steep cost, here’s an example of the failings in Ontario.
ht tp://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/lawrence-solomon-ontario-is-headed-for-a-fatal-future-and-only-ending-the-renewable-deals-can-prevent-it
Evolution ? Really ? Why are guys like you against more , limitless , cheap energy ? It amazes me to no end that anyone would be against more of everything . I say stop all energy subsidies . Let all the energy providers operate on a level playing field . In that scenario nuclear would shut down mediately and the fossils wouldnt last more than a decade . But then that’s going to happen anyway .
I didn’t bother to open your link . The national post is a fossil shill and more than irrelevant . You might as well read the rebel .
Sheesh….your loss Ataloss. I posted a link not an insult. I often read yours and others links to better understand the writers opinion, this helps to better understand their message weather I like the source/content or not.
Well evo , I didn’t mean to insult . I just meant to be truthful . The argument of subsidies is really annoying once one understands the subsidy system and how haywire it is in our neck of the world . I find it so ironic to say it , but , cheap limitless energy is going to arrive whether you like it or not . That’s the evolution of energy . We used to kill whales to light the night and that was high tech at the time .
Ataloss you are right, think molten salt reactors.
What’s the cost of your solar, 25,000? Payback 20/25 years? 25 years your system will need to be replaced. Your roof may also need to be replaced. So how is that payback going? Going off grid then the price increases substantially for batteries and don’t forget battery replacment in 9 years or so. Again how is your cheap lilitess system doing?
Do you do all your own maintenance?
I see SK Power has promised to get half of its power from renewable energy
As I meant to say SK Power has promised to get half of its power from renewable energy,such as wind by 2030.
Who cares about sk power OM ? Go to insideevs.com scroll down to solar roof and powerwall2.0 check out the video and be amazed as to what’s avalable now . For the times they are a changing .
For the Elon , solarcity, tesla averse . Do not follow my directions !!!!!
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