Hot on HuffPost Small Business:

 

Small-Business Hiring and Salaries Decrease, But Optimism Increases

SurePayroll's Small Business Scorecard saw negative rates for hiring and payroll nationwide in May -- but a big jump in small-business optimism.

Text Size:

A A A
Though hiring and payroll are down, small-business owners are more optimistic, according to latest survey.SurePayroll has released its Small Business Scorecard for the month of May, tracking the hiring and pay statistics of 32,000 small businesses nationwide.

The data is collected from actual employee payrolls of businesses with an average of eight employees. The statistics show that although both hiring and salaries are down nationwide, small-business optimism increased significantly since April, rising from 52 percent to 75 percent in May.

The survey reports an average nationwide loss of 2.3 percent in hiring and a loss in salary per paycheck, averaging a 0.3 percent decrease.

The Northeast was the only region to report a gain, with the average salary per paycheck up by 0.5 percent. The West reported the greatest loss in hiring, with a negative average of 4.6 percent. The Midwest saw the greatest loss in salary per paycheck, reporting a 0.9 percent loss.

The survey also sampled a random group of 12 states to report changes in small-business size and average paychecks for the year to date. The states -- Arizona, Indiana, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey and Washington -- reported some of the most negative hiring rates across the country, with New Jersey losing the most employees: 6.4 percent. Oregon reported the greatest gain in employees, listing a 2.8 percent gain.

Five states -- California, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Oregon -- reported the only losses in salary per paycheck, while the remaining seven states all reported gains in salary.

Tags: News, small business hiring, small business optimism, small business payroll, SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard

Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Advertisement

Tip of the Day

  • August 8 2011
    "Today's businesses need to recognize that customer loyalty goes a long way. Re-evaluate your approach to customer service. If you are ...
    Continue Reading
  • August 5 2011
    "People love seeing who is behind the company and they love hearing what you have to say -- not necessarily selling but giving tips on what ...
    Continue Reading
  • August 4 2011
    "Small businesses leaders should always devote time and effort to involving themselves in their local communities. Whether you're in a large ...
    Continue Reading
  • August 3 2011
    "You need to recognize talent and reward your key executives within your company. One of the key strategies to maintaining top talent is to ...
    Continue Reading
View all Tips »

Latest OPEN Forum Insights

Presented by american express

Coming soon
Latest Videos
View all »
Expert Take
View all »