The economy has turned out better this year than Colorado business leaders expected, but they remain pessimistic due to high interest rates, inflation and trouble filling open jobs.released Thursday by the University of Colorado in Boulder marks the seventh consecutive survey indicating business leaders’ pessimism about the national and state economies.
At the same time, Colorado business leaders continue to be bearish in their outlook toward the economy, he added.High interest rates appear to be “the overarching drag on optimism” at the national and state levels, said Richard Wobbekind, an associate dean and senior economist at CU Boulder. In August, Colorado’s labor force grew 2% year over year, hitting an all-time record of 3.25 million workers, Lewandowski said. Still, there are “a number of headwinds” that economists are watching closely, including high interest rates, inflation, energy prices and worker shortages.Housing affordability and availabilityWorker shortages, inflation and interest rates were other major concerns cited. A total of 222 business leaders answered the survey Sept. 1-20.