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Survey: LI Small Businesses Optimistic On Economic Front

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - There's a slow but optimistic trend upwards in Long Island's business economy.

As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, a new survey finds most businesses are looking to add workers within the next five years.

"You see an improvement in sales, you see an improvement in hiring. Even in moving to larger office spaces, they are spending a lot of time talking about how they're going to invest more and how they're going to grow more," Kirk Kordeleski, CEO of the Bethpage Federal Credit Union, told Xirinachs.

Survey: LI Small Businesses Optimistic On Economic Front

The survey was sponsored by Bethpage FCU and conducted by the Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research.

Health and financial service is doing especially well, the survey found.

"People are actually working more hours than they were two years ago, on average. So that means a little bit more stress, more hard work. That's a good thing," survey director Professor Leonie Huddy told Xirinachs.

But there are challenges, especially in retail and construction. That then leads to higher stress, Huddy said.

Local business leaders reported having little confidence in the federal government's desire to help them, the survey found.

"On the one hand, things are actually improving. When you ask people how they're feeling, they're still a bit down about what's going on in terms of politics," said Huddy.

Overall, the survey found much business optimism and a boost in consumer confidence.

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