So, is your recession over?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Jeroen van Oostrom/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve always felt that a good sign of recovery was the point when the media run more upbeat than downbeat business stories. !Hardly scientific, but we reached this point some time ago, and there is plenty of good news.

Parking wasn’t a problem at my local commuting station during the recession. Last Autumn they extended the car park: it gained 50% more spaces. !Now, it’s full during the week. Irritating if you are late, but is this another sign that recovery is here?

Image courtesy of Mantas Rusveltas/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But then I caught one of these in London, and the unhappy cabby moaned about the lack of business in general and Christmas parties in particular, finishing with the classic line: “It’s not like it used to be.”

Clients, colleagues and contacts tell similarly conflicting stories, ranging from becalmed to very busy. !What is going on?

It’s as if, while some parts of the economy are forging ahead, a significant amount of slack is still being taken up elsewhere. !I genuinely don’t know, but I’d love to hear your views.

!!Graham Oddey!!M: +44 (0) 7710 516 135!T:  +44 (0) 1367 860 595!E:  graham@swinbrookconsulting.com!W: www.swinbrookconsulting.com!Follow us on Twitter: @grahamoddey