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Business Confidence Stories - Page 3

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Business Confidence stories

New Zealand bosses plan pay rises as confidence grows
Human Capital Management

New Zealand bosses plan pay rises as confidence grows

New Zealand employers plan pay rises and richer perks as economic optimism grows, with 84% expecting the outlook to lift staff salaries.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Tue, 24th Feb 2026
Optimistic trans-Tasman SMEs face widening service gap
Digital Transformation

Optimistic trans-Tasman SMEs face widening service gap

Trans-Tasman small firms are upbeat and boosting tech and marketing, yet consumers report patchy service and missing digital basics.

By Melania Watson • 6 min read • Thu, 12th Feb 2026
NZ jobs grow but hours, tech roles & pay all slide
Marketing Technologies

NZ jobs grow but hours, tech roles & pay all slide

NZ adds more jobs but works fewer hours as high-paid tech roles, casual shifts and young workers' pay all slide, new data shows.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 5 min read • Wed, 14th Jan 2026
UK & Irish SME chiefs back growth despite economic gloom
Digital Transformation

UK & Irish SME chiefs back growth despite economic gloom

UK and Irish SME bosses fear a worsening economy yet still plan to ramp up investment, betting on AI, innovation and sales growth in 2026.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Tue, 6th Jan 2026
Asia-Pacific & AI drive bullish CEO outlook for 2026
Digital Transformation

Asia-Pacific & AI drive bullish CEO outlook for 2026

Global CEOs pin 2026 hopes on APAC growth and soaring AI spend, despite geopolitical risks and investor pressure for faster returns.

By Catherine Knowles • 5 min read • Tue, 30th Dec 2025

Stories from Other Regions

Business Confidence stories

Inflation, US debt & AI: key risks for NZ investors
Risk & Compliance

Inflation, US debt & AI: key risks for NZ investors

New Zealand investors are warned AI-fuelled gains face “incredible danger” from US inflation, soaring debt and turbulent midterms ahead.

By Michael McCarthy • 5 min read • Wed, 18th Feb 2026
Manchester firms delay growth plans amid volatility
Digital Transformation

Manchester firms delay growth plans amid volatility

Manchester's mid-sized firms are stalling investment and expansion, citing volatile costs, policy shifts and tougher access to finance.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Fri, 13th Feb 2026
Cost-of-living pressures reshaping customer spending
Fintech

Cost-of-living pressures reshaping customer spending

Digital ordering and payment options are influencing behaviour, with more people using QR codes to avoid awkward money conversations with friends.

By Shannon Williams • 5 min read • Thu, 12th Feb 2026
Spark & Icehouse launch free AI workshops for SMEs
Digital Transformation

Spark & Icehouse launch free AI workshops for SMEs

Spark and Icehouse will run free nationwide AI and productivity workshops to help New Zealand SMEs lift performance and overcome tech barriers.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Thu, 12th Feb 2026
UK tech leaders embrace risk, private equity & global growth
Digital Transformation

UK tech leaders embrace risk, private equity & global growth

UK tech, IT and telecoms leaders grow bolder on risk, eye private equity backing and global expansion despite rising cost pressures.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Wed, 4th Feb 2026
Canadian executives back AI despite global jitters
Data Protection

Canadian executives back AI despite global jitters

Canadian bosses bet big on AI for 2026 as global economic optimism lags, embracing autonomous agents while employees resist AI managers.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 3 min read • Wed, 4th Feb 2026
Security tops 2026 tech spend for Australian retailers
Data Protection

Security tops 2026 tech spend for Australian retailers

Security, privacy and data protection will command the biggest tech spend for Australian retail SMBs in 2026, ahead of AI and global growth.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 3rd Feb 2026
Employment Hero launches Canada SMB Insight Engine
Data Analytics

Employment Hero launches Canada SMB Insight Engine

Employment Hero launches a quarterly SMB Insight Engine to track Canadian small firms' confidence amid hiring strain and burnout fears.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 16th Jan 2026
NZ firms lift tech spend as AI shifts from trials to scale
Disaster Recovery

NZ firms lift tech spend as AI shifts from trials to scale

New Zealand firms plan bigger tech budgets as optimism grows, shifting AI from pilots to scaled deployments despite talent and cyber strains.

By Mark Tarre • 6 min read • Fri, 9th Jan 2026
UK SMEs eye growth but struggle to keep pace with AI
Data Analytics

UK SMEs eye growth but struggle to keep pace with AI

UK SMEs remain upbeat on growth but risk falling behind as economic jitters, rising customer demands and poor grasp of AI strain marketing.

By Catherine Knowles • 5 min read • Fri, 19th Dec 2025
UK founders demand clearer AI rules & digital trust
Digital Transformation

UK founders demand clearer AI rules & digital trust

UK founders warn unclear AI rules and weak digital trust threaten competitiveness, as many eye EU markets despite backing Britain to start up.

By Shannon Williams • 5 min read • Wed, 17th Dec 2025
UK firms overconfident on EU AI Act as fines mount
Software-as-a-Service

UK firms overconfident on EU AI Act as fines mount

UK firms most confident on EU AI Act readiness yet report more fines and contract turmoil than German and French rivals, study finds.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Wed, 17th Dec 2025
Energy bills bite as SMEs turn to digital & AI tools
Data Analytics

Energy bills bite as SMEs turn to digital & AI tools

Energy bills surge for Australian SMEs as federal rebates end, driving cost cuts, delayed investment and a pivot to digital and AI tools.

By Shannon Williams • 5 min read • Wed, 17th Dec 2025