Business Survey Netherlands (COEN)
Every quarter year, the Conjunctuurenquête Nederland questions entrepreneurs on topics that concern them. Topics such as turnover developments, profitability, investments, and staff. Included are questions about experiences in the past quarter and expectations for the current quarter. The business confidence survey combines various of these topics to identify an overall sentiment. It is available for the whole of the Netherlands, all business sectors, regions, and company sizes.
1st quarter, 2025 - Business Confidence Indicator
Business confidence is negative for the 13th quarter in a row, reaching -5.4 in the first quarter of 2025. A quarter earlier, business confidence stood at -3.2. This marks the first time in over a year that the figure has fallen from a quarter earlier. At the start of the first quarter of 2025, business confidence is below the average (-3.6) of the series from 2012. Only in the sector of business services the mood indicator is slightly positive. Business confidence improved in 2 business sectors, the figure remained almost the same in manufacturing and deteriorated in the other 11. The mood indicator is most negative in agriculture, forestry and fishing, and the Accommodation and food serving industry.
Business confidence decreased from -3.2 to -5.4 in Q1 2025. Business services (3.3), Renting, buying, selling real estate (-1.0) and Information and communication (-1.6) saw the highest relative entrepreneurial confidence. Entrepreneurs in agriculture, forestry and fishing (-18.6), Accommodation and food serving (-17.9), and Sale and repair of motor vehicles (-12.5) are relatively the most negative.
Expectations
Entrepreneurs are on balance positive about sales prices/rates (35.6%), personnel (10.1%), investments (3.7%), and purchase orders (1.3%). On balance, entrepreneurs are negative about the economic climate (-4.4%) and turnover (-1.5%).
Obstacles
35.6% of entrepreneurs experience labour shortages. Furthermore, insufficient demand (18.9%), financial limitations (10.3%), shortage of production, materials, space (7.1%), weather conditions (6.3%), or other reasons (9.3%) make up the obstacles. 34.4% experience no obstacles.
The different barriers now add up to more than 100%. Entrepreneurs can enter a maximum of 2 answers for the obstacle question.
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