The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (Sacci) 2013 annual survey shows a muted outlook for the year.
However, there were better expectations, said Sacci CEO Neren Rau.
"The escalating cost of doing business (including electricity costs and municipal levies) is currently the biggest concern of business (42 percent), followed by the related concept of regulatory compliance cost at 16 percent.
"The third biggest concern is the cost or access to finance (13 percent).'
Labour strife and public service delivery were at the bottom of business concerns at four percent each, Rau said.
The survey polled 64 businesses employing at least 24,000 people in total.
Rau said business had a mostly negative experience over the past year and was not overly optimistic for 2014.
