Most Nebraska businesses expect sales and jobs to remain stable or to grow during the next six months, according to the latest survey conducted by UNL’s Bureau of Business Research.

Respondents from the Omaha area, in particular, had a positive outlook.

“Respondents to the April Survey of Nebraska Business were positive in their outlook for sales and employment at their own businesses,” said Eric Thompson, a UNL economist and director of the Bureau of Business Research.

The April responses continued the positive business outlook reported during the previous two months. Statewide, 31 percent of businesses predicted sales to increase during the next six months and 51 percent predicted them to remain the same. Meanwhile, 18 percent predicted sales to decline.

In addition, 10 percent of businesses expected to increase employment over the next 6 months and only 4 percent expected to reduce employment.

Customer demand was the most frequently cited concern by Nebraska businesses, with 37 percent listing customer demand among the most important issues they face. The biggest policy concern was government regulations, cited by 12 percent of respondents.

The Survey of Nebraska Business is sent to 500 randomly selected businesses of all sizes each month. For April’s survey, 106 businesses responded, for a 21 percent response rate.

As part of the April report, Thompson combined responses from Omaha businesses in March and April to create a sample size sufficient for analysis. In the Omaha metropolitan area, 38 percent predicted increased sales in coming months while 41 percent predicted they would stay the same and 21 percent predict a decline in sales. In addition, 20 percent of Omaha businesses expected to increase employment while just 4 percent expected to decrease jobs.

Among Omaha businesses, 29 percent mentioned customer demand as a top concern, and 21 percent mentioned the cost of goods and services. Health care costs and the Affordable Care Act were the biggest policy concern, cited by 15 percent of respondents.

For more information, the full survey report is available on the Bureau of Business Research website.