The Goss Business Conditions Index jumped more than nine points in August to 59.

The index is based on a monthly survey of supply managers in the state and measures business confidence. The scale ranges from zero to 100, with 50 considered neutral.

The Goss index was helped along by an increase in construction employment, which increased by 5.2 percent over the year, according to Ernie Goss, the author of the index. This increase helped bring the index above neutral after it sank to 49.6 in July.

July marked the first time the index was below 50 since October 2009. At the time, Goss pointed to the nationwide drought as the cause of decreased business confidence.

The index's highest reading in 2012 was in March, when the index sat at 61.4.