MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Tennessee Business Barometer dropped almost 100 points in the last quarter, reflecting growing pessimism among the state’s business leaders.
The online survey is compiled by Middle Tennessee State’s Jones Business of College and is designed to gauge business sentiment. The Business Barometer dropped from 243 points in October to 146 points January 20.
Poll Director Tim Graeff says Tennessee business community is increasingly concerned about the current state of their industries and, even more troubling, their own particular businesses.
“Pretty much everything was a negative. When we asked them to come up with a word to describe the overall United States Economy – what words comes to mind – the two most common words were ‘uncertain’ and ‘stagnant.’”
Graeff says business leaders are also growing uneasy about hiring additional workers. He says business owners also complain about not being able to find qualified workers.