5250.0 - Australian Business Expectations, Sep 1997  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/09/1997   
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  • Business expectations looking up for December quarter (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

September 25, 1997
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
127/1997

Business expectations looking up for December quarter

A survey of Australian businesses released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows business is optimistic about sales in the short and medium term.

Short term

The Australian Business Expectations, December quarter 1997 and September Quarter 1998 survey says that businesses expect increased sales of 3.0 per cent in the December quarter 1997. This is the largest expected increase in sales since the December quarter 1993.

Total expenses are expected to rise 1.6 per cent, resulting in a profits expectation of 14.3 per cent. This is the largest expected increase in short term profits since the survey commenced in December 1993.

Small and medium businesses expect increases in sales of 2.1 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively, while large businesses expect an increase of 4.9 per cent.

Businesses expect full-time equivalent employment to fall 0.2 per cent and selling process to rise 0.2 per cent.

Medium term

In the medium term, sales for the September quarter 1998 are expected to rise by 3.9 per cent compared with present levels (September quarter 1997), while selling prices are expected to rise 0.7 per cent.

Businesses report that they expect profits in the September quarter 1998 to be 21.0 per cent higher than at present, with the mining and manufacturing industries expecting the largest increases.

Businesses expect full-time equivalent employment to rise 0.4 per cent in the medium term.

Details of short and medium term business expectations are in Australian Business Expectations, December quarter 1997 and September Quarter 1998 (cat. no. 5250.0) available from ABS bookshops.