Optimistic mood prevails among business services providers

Business services providers remain optimistic about the future. The number of companies in this sector expecting to receive more orders and to generate a higher turnover in the first quarter of 2008 well exceeds those anticipating a decline. The balance in January exceeded the result of December.

Business services providers are also optimistic about future employment; on balance 30 percent expect to hire more staff in the first quarter of 2008. Among computer services providers in particular, new staff are in high demand. Six out of ten companies in this sector report that shortage of manpower is impeding production growth. 

Dutch business services providers are pleased with the number of orders received in December 2007. On balance, 29 percent describe the number of orders received as ‘good’, given the time of the year, which is more than in the previous month. Providers of business services are still very positive about the economic climate in general in the Netherlands. Their opinions on this indicator were just as exuberant as in December. 

The sentiment survey conducted among providers of business services examines the mood in three branches: lease companies, computer services and other business services. From January 2007 the survey has been extended to “commercial services” and the frequency has been increased from quarterly to monthly. This adjustment is described in “Business sentiment survey for commercial services”.

Opinion on orders received in business services