Employment Responses to the survey demonstrated how employment fluctuated throughout the pandemic. There was a significant decline from March to May 2020, then a slight recovery over the summer, followed by another decline in the fall. Responses also illustrate that firms still do not expect employment to recover to pre-pandemic levels by April 2021. Revenues The percentage of firms reporting declining revenues between September and December was slightly higher than the prior measurement period. In September, about 24 percent reported a decline in revenue during
the few months prior, whereas 36 percent reported a decline between September and December. However, there appears to be optimism. Looking ahead to April, there was a 10 percent increase in the number of firms expecting increases in revenue. The effects of the pandemic on revenue
between September and December varied by industry. Accommodations and transportation and distribution continued to report declining revenue. Revenues for manufacturing, banking/finance, and entertainment were steady. Restaurants/food appeared to be showing some sign of recovering. What steps did firms take to address the effects of the pandemic? First, almost all firms (97 percent of respondents) modified their business in some manner due to COVID-19. This was up from 91 percent of responses in the third survey that went out in September of 2020. As with past surveys, the highest number of respondents indicated modifications to employment practices. The survey results also indicate that these modifications may be long lasting. Only 22 percent indicated the changes will not endure. Second, firms accessed available support programs. A majority of firms, 68 percent, accessed the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This is roughly in line with the data for Minnesota. As of January 2021,
about 73% of Minnesota firms that responded to the U.S. Census Business Pulse survey had received PPP loans. How optimistic do firms feel optimistic about the future? A majority of respondents (about 60 percent) are expressing optimism for 2021. However, the optimism is tempered by the extent to which their firm was directly impacted by the most recent dial-back Executive Order.
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker