Confidence among Massachusetts employers rebounded last month but remained in pessimistic territory amid continued economic and policy uncertainty, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) said. The AIM Business Confidence Index (BCI) gained 6.3 points during May to end the month at 47.8. The reading broke a three-month slide and left the Index 5.5 points lower than in May 2024. A reading less than 50 on the 100-point Index indicates a pessimistic outlook.
The rebound mirrored a similar recovery of U.S. consumer confidence from an almost five-year low as perceptions of the economy and labor market improved. The federal government also reported on Friday that US employers created a better-than-expected 139,000 jobs during May.
“Employers and consumers alike appear to have settled into a wait-and-see period as the administration conducts trade negotiations with individual nations,” said Sara Johnson, chair of the AIM Board of Economic Advisors (BEA), which oversees the BCI.
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