In a conversation with Cape Girardeau’s Faune Riggin on 960-KZIM, NFIB State Director Brad Jones highlighted the latest findings of the Small Business Economic Trends report and what issues Main Street hopes the General Assembly will address, including workforce development and access to childcare.

“We’ve still got 40 percent of our membership that have job openings they can’t fill. So we’ve still got inflation that’s a little bit higher than anybody wants, and it’s just really, really difficult with unemployment being so low in finding somebody to take those jobs.”

Jones continued, highlighting a bill introduced by Rep. Brenda Shields that would provide greater access to affordable childcare. Jones noted that with more childcare, non-working parents could re-join the workforce.

“We’ve got a childcare crisis in this state,” Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of non-working parents that are having to stay home because they cannot find any place or afford childcare for their kids. […] Rep. Shields has got a bill, HB 1488. It was heard in committee and will be voted out this week. […] It provides some incentives for both employees, for the parents, for the employers, and for the childcare facilities themselves. We’re going to take another run at that this year. I think that there are folks out there who are not in the employment pool because economically, they’ve got to stay home.”

CLICK HERE for the full interview.