NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Chamber released the 19th edition of its Annual Business Leaders Poll on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
The Chamber commissions Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates (CHS) annually to conduct a scientific poll of 300 Kansas business leaders to gauge their thoughts and concerns regarding the Kansas business and political climates.
"The top concern, still, is to lower taxes on business at 45%," said Pat McFerron with Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates. "We have seen it higher a few times, but it is up five points from last year."
More than one in four Kansas businesses are planning for more people.
"We do have 26% of Kansas businesses saying they plan to increase their workforce next year," McFerron said. "If you look at the long-term trend, dating back to 2005, that's still a pretty decent number, but compared to what we saw coming out of the pandemic, that number has come down quite a bit."
Also, survey participants are generally dissatisfied with the workforce, and this has been a downward trend for some time.
"See what's happened from 2010 to 2023," McFerron said. "In those 14 years, we've gone from 75% satisfaction to 43% satisfied with the workforce. This is not just a post-pandemic trend line that we see. We continue to see it apply among those who are hiring folks, those who need the workforce, who want to grow the workforce."
The Chamber will release its legislative agenda for the 2024 session in January.
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