ARTICLE
The sky's not falling, but the Lehigh Valley's economy hasn't exactly been tearing it up lately. For the second straight quarter, the Lehigh Valley Employment and Purchasing Index was stuck in the doldrums, suggesting local companies are playing it a little more conservatively in the area of hiring and purchasing. That reflects economic and geopolitical uncertainty and the reality that while some companies are growing, many others continue to play it safe. "It is basically flat," Bethlehem economist Kamran Afshar said. "It is not going across the board, not everybody is joining in going up, and that is obviously a concern." Afshar surveys approximately 1,000 Lehigh Valley businesses each quarter in cooperation with the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, asking about their hiring and purchasing plans, as well as their actual hiring and purchasing over the last six months. Click here to read the article
The sky's not falling, but the Lehigh Valley's economy hasn't exactly been tearing it up lately.
For the second straight quarter, the Lehigh Valley Employment and Purchasing Index was stuck in the doldrums, suggesting local companies are playing it a little more conservatively in the area of hiring and purchasing.
That reflects economic and geopolitical uncertainty and the reality that while some companies are growing, many others continue to play it safe. "It is basically flat," Bethlehem economist Kamran Afshar said. "It is not going across the board, not everybody is joining in going up, and that is obviously a concern."
Afshar surveys approximately 1,000 Lehigh Valley businesses each quarter in cooperation with the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, asking about their hiring and purchasing plans, as well as their actual hiring and purchasing over the last six months. Click here to read the article