How will Connecticut’s economy perform in 2026? Will inflation and interest rates ease meaningfully? And can businesses continue to grow amid ongoing cost and workforce pressures?
Those questions loom large as Hartford Business Journal readers look ahead to the new year.
HBJ readers are noticeably less optimistic about Connecticut’s economy in 2026 than they were a year earlier, according to the latest Economic Forecast Survey.
In fact, 29.4% of respondents said Connecticut’s economy will improve slightly or significantly this year, down sharply from 51.2% who expected improvement in 2025.
Meanwhile, the share of respondents expecting the economy to decline rose to 35.9%, compared with about 22% a year earlier.
Sentiment about current conditions also deteriorated. Just 29.6% of respondents said the economy is in better shape than it was a year ago, compared with nearly 48% who expressed that view in the 2025 survey. Nearly half now say conditions are worse.
Hiring expectations softened slightly. About 34.9% of respondents plan to hire additional staff in 2026, roughly in line with last year, but more businesses expect flat employment, and fewer anticipate strong workforce growth.
Labor challenges remain persistent. Nearly 52% of respondents said it is very difficult or impossible to find qualified workers, similar to last year, though the share expecting to raise wages declined modestly from 52% to 48%.
Those were some of the findings from Hartford Business Journal’s 2026 economic outlook survey, the results of which are featured in this special pullout section.
The survey, sponsored by NBT Bank, was emailed to more than 10,000 HBJ Today subscribers. The unscientific results were gathered over a three-week period in November and early December, garnering 261 responses.
Of those surveyed, 80% said they work at privately-held companies and 75% said their business has fewer than 100 employees.
The results offer a window into business sentiment heading into 2026.
We hope you find the survey results informative, and we wish you good luck and health in the year ahead.
