Top Challenges According to Businesses

Washington State businesses just finished spilling their guts in a survey, and the results are basically: “We’re worried, we’re broke, and we don’t know what AI even does.” Employers are less panicked about a recession than a few months ago, but they’re still stressed about taxes, health care costs, and tariffs. Oh, and half of them think robots might be useful, but only a handful have actually tried turning one on. So let's dive into the numbers and see how business owners think about important stuff!

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Here are Five Fast Facts on the biggest struggles for Washington businesses:

1. 🥞 Flat as a Pancake - 45% say their business growth is “flat,” which is the corporate way of saying “we’re not dying, but we’re definitely not thriving either.” Uh, pass the syrup?

2. 🤷 Recession Roulette - About a third (32%) think a recession is still coming, 23% think it’s not, and the other 46% shrugged so hard they pulled a muscle.

3. 😡 Tariff Tantrum - Over half (51%) of businesses say tariffs are hurting them, which is up from 48% in the spring. Basically, imports are expensive, and everyone’s cranky.

4. 💸 Taxes are the Worst - 58% of employers say their biggest problem is taxes. Somewhere, an accountant is nodding so hard their glasses fell off.

5. 🤖 AI = Actually Ignored - Only 12% of businesses are using AI, while 46% are just Googling “what is AI” and hoping for the best.

🔥Bottom line: In short, Washington businesses are in a weird spot. They’re less "doomsday" about recessions, but still stressed about taxes, tariffs, and health care. Most companies are “meh” about growth, and when it comes to AI, they’re basically standing around like someone trying to figure out how to work the remote at grandma’s house. Basically, it seems like everyone is just trying to make it to the weekend without going broke.

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What do you think about these numbers?

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