The Providence Business News Executive Poll is a weekly
survey of 70 business leaders, representing large and small businesses in a
variety of industries.
QUESTION: Which most accurately describes your company or organization’s
spending plan for the next fiscal year?
Level funded by comparison to last year: 18%
A slight increase in spending: 55%
A significant increase in spending: 18%
A slight decrease in spending: 9%
QUESTION: What is your company or organization’s employment outlook for
the next fiscal year?
Number of FTEs should remain the same: 55%
Number of FTEs likely to increase: 45%
QUESTION: Do you expect your company or organization to spend more on capital
projects during the next fiscal year than it did a year ago — or do you expect
spending practices to remain tight?
Spending should increase in the next fiscal year:73%
Spending should remain tight: 27%
QUESTION: What are your expectations for the local economy for the remaining
six months of 2004?
Expect to see marked improvement: 55%
Expect it to be mostly stagnant: 45%
