PHOENIX (Feb. 21, 2024) – In a conversation with Arizona Horizon’s Ted Simons, NFIB State Director Chad Heinrich discussed the findings of the latest NFIB Small Business Optimism Index and opportunities before the Legislature to keep Arizona open for business.

“There are always headwinds as a small business,” Heinrich said. “We’ve got issues with labor; we’ve got issues with our expenses in general – costs are increasing. We tend to see inflation and labor quality as the top issues that small businesses tell us [are impacting them] in our regular surveys.”

Heinrich continued, noting job creators’ opposition to proposals that would raise the cost of doing business in Arizona.

“The risk that we see is how can the Legislature impact our cost of doing business. We pay attention to things like mandates on the health insurance industry, mandates on workers’ compensation insurance, or potentially, unemployment insurance. Those are cost drivers for small businesses. We want to keep the legislation that impacts those programs to a minimum from a cost perspective.”

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Background:

According to the latest NFIB report, nearly 40 percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period.

Small business owners oppose House Bill 2035 and similar proposals that would increase the cost of health care in Arizona. Last year, more than 90 percent of small business owners reported that it was “challenging” to afford health insurance for their employees.