NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—Coming off a positive year and holiday season, retailers within Levin Management Corporation's 100-property, 14 million-square-foot portfolio are fundamentally optimistic about prospects for 2018, although nearly two-thirds of survey participants say it has become harder to find qualified candidates for jobs they are trying to fill, and employee pressure for higher wages and better benefits is rising.

The North Plainfield-based commercial real estate services firm today released the results of its 2018 Outlook Retail Sentiment Survey, which also point to shifts stemming from current economic conditions and the continued evolution of the retail industry itself.

By the numbers, 64.1 percent of Levin survey participants in the annual January poll reported 2017 annual sales at the same level or higher than 2016. This compares to a five-year trailing average of 57.5 percent. And, for the holiday season, 66.2 percent of respondents reported same-or-higher sales compared to the 2016 holiday season, while 67.0 percent reported same-or-higher in-store traffic. This compares to five-year trailing averages of 62.7 and 60.4 percent, respectively.