FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director, patrick.connor@nfib.org,
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

OLYMPIA, Wash., Oct. 2, 2025—From NFIB Washington State Director Patrick Connor on today’s release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), showing that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in September, unchanged from August. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32% was in July 2020. 

“Washington’s small-business owners may find themselves out-of-step with colleagues and competitors on the hiring front as they trim hours or jobs in response to our state’s largest tax hike in history, which began taking effect this week. Eliminating unfilled jobs may be the least painful approach to offset sending more hard-earned dollars to Olympia.”

NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year.

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“Main Street job openings remain above their historical average, with owners reporting few qualified applicants. While a recession appears unlikely, small business owners continue to experience economic uncertainty as many owners continue to grapple with labor imbalances.”

Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report

• Twenty-nine percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions and 21% reported none.
• A seasonally adjusted net 16% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, up 1 point from August and the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Hiring plans are at their highest level since January.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 31% of small business owners reported raising compensation in September, up 2 points from August. A net 19% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down 1 point from August.

Keep up with the latest Washington state small business news at www.nfib.com or on X @NFIB_WA or on Facebook @NFIB.WA

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For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Washington
111 – 21st Avenue Southwest
Olympia, WA 98501
360-786-8675
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Twitter: @NFIB_WA
Facebook: @NFIB.WA