Employers unsure about growth

Only 30% of Florida businesses are very confident about their ability to grow in the second quarter of 2011, while 24% are not at all confident about short-term growth, according to a survey conducted by Robert Half International.

Nationwide, 40% of businesses described themselves as very confident about growth, while just 14% said they were not at all confident.

And unfortunately for the state's employment rate, only a small number of confident businesses plan on hiring soon. Just 9% of Florida respondents said they planned on hiring new employees next quarter. That number is in line with the national rate, Robert Half said.

The survey reached more than 3,500 business executives across the country, with more than 100 of those being based in Florida.