Study: Massachusetts employer confidence rising

BOSTON - A monthly survey shows that Massachusetts employers are slowly regaining some of the confidence in the economy that they lost during the global recession.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts says its Business Confidence Index rose 1.8 points in September, up to 42.4. It was the sixth time in the last seven months that the index has risen since falling to an all-time low of 33.3 in February.

The index operates on a 100-point scale. Any rating below 50 means that employers have a negative view of the economy. The highest rating was 68.5, last reached in May 1998.

Economist Raymond Torto, who chairs AIM's Board of Economic Advisors, says he expects business confidence to continue improving over the next six months.