Aussie businesses look to expand sales and staff in 2014

The future's looking bright for organisations in Australia, with the latest Business Expectations Survey from Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) demonstrating 70 per cent are "optimistic about growth" in 2014.

An impressive 25 per cent of businesses expect sales figures to climb in the first three months of the coming year. This compares favourably with the 15 per cent who shared this sentiment in the September quarter.

In addition to this, 33 per cent of businesses now think 2014 will be more profitable than 2013 - up from 28 per cent when the survey was last conducted.

But it's not just profits that are projected to increase. The amount of organisations planning to take on brand-new employees next year has also risen dramatically in the past few months.

In the September quarter, just four per cent of businesses that took part in the Business Expectations Survey said they were going to hire staff in 2014.

This number has more than doubled in the latest survey - 10 per cent of organisations are now looking to ring in the New Year by making additions to their workforce.

Danielle Woods, Director of Corporate Affairs at D&B, said this was a welcome statistic following 18 months of steady decline in employment activity.

"This turnaround, especially given the recent lift in the official jobless rate, provides hope that forecasts for unemployment beyond the six per cent mark may be over-estimations, and that Australian businesses are in reasonable shape," she said.

If you're planning to hire staff or expand your organisation in any way, shape or form in 2014, make sure you review your business insurance policy to ensure you are adequately covered.

Should you need to update your business liability insurance or other areas of cover, get in touch with your local Elders Insurance agent.