ENCOURAGING existing businesses to take on even a small number of extra employees could help curb the pending jobs crisis caused by Electrolux’s closure.
Orange City Council will use the results of an online survey to find out what obstacles are stopping businesses expanding.
Corporate and commercial services director Kathy Woolley said the survey results would also be used to find out how much extra commercial and industrial land is needed to aid the city’s growth.
“The business confidence survey looks at things like how are you going to grow your business and how many staff would you employ?” she said.
“It’s a very important original source of of data ... and it’s good timing to ask them additional questions like ‘what would stop you adding a couple of extra staff to your business’? And what are the barriers to stop you growing’?.”
Ms Woolley said for most businesses Electrolux’s closure would have an indirect impact, but the survey would also give owners an opportunity to highlight the specific impact on their operations and would also address ways of building new export markets.
“With the number of jobs [to be lost] we’ve got to have a think about how the flow-on will really work,” she said.
Ms Woolley said  council had began modelling the potential impact, but the survey would be direct communication from businesses.
“It’s a stimulation point to get people to think now rather than  bang 500 jobs gone,” she said.
Future demand for land in the central business district, bulky goods and industrial areas would be based on the expected population projections, she said, and the survey will help link the pieces of the puzzle.
The survey can be accessed at www.orange.nsw.gov.au/survey.