Jobs
Share of US Small Businesses With Job Openings Is Smallest Since 2021
- A quarter plan to raise compensation in next three months
- Share of businesses with open positions falls to 40%
A "Help Wanted" sign outside a restaurant in New York.
Photographer: Gabriela Bhaskar/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The share of US small businesses with unfilled positions this month dropped to the lowest level since February 2021 and fewer owners said they raised worker compensation, the National Federation of Independent Business said.
The net percentage of small firms boosting worker pay fell 2 percentage points to 36%, matching the smallest since May 2021, data from the NFIB showed Thursday. That’s down markedly from a record high of 50% at the start of last year. At the same time, 26% indicated plans to raise compensation in the next three months, the largest share this year.