Another record high in job openings found among small-business owners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Candace Daly, Utah State Director, [email protected]
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, [email protected]
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 6, 2021—The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) today released the latest poll of its small-business-owning membership, which revealed another record high, 44%, of small business owners having job openings they could not fill.
This number was 22 points higher than the 48-year historical average, and two points higher than the 42% figure from March. April is the third consecutive month with a record-high reading of unfilled job openings among small businesses. The Jobs Report is released the first Thursday of every month and is a national sample not broken down by state.
“Although Utah has a low unemployment rate, there are still jobs, and good-paying ones, out there for anyone willing to get back to work,” said Candace Daly, NFIB’s Utah state director. “Finding qualified employees has always been a concern of small-business owners, but the pandemic seems to have pushed finding anyone ahead of it. In some cases, there’s a greater financial reward for remaining on unemployment, which should and will change eventually.”
From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg
“The tight labor market is the biggest concern for small businesses who are competing with various factors such as supplemental unemployment benefits, childcare and in-person school restrictions, and the virus. Many small business owners who are trying to hire are finding themselves unsuccessful and are having to delay the hiring or offer higher wages. Some owners are offering ‘show up’ bonuses for workers who agree to take the job and actually show up for work.”
The NFIB Research Foundation has collected Small Business Economic Trends data with quarterly surveys since 1974 and monthly surveys since 1986. Survey respondents are drawn from NFIB’s membership. The survey was conducted in April 2021 and reflects a random sample of 10,000 small-business owners/members.
Keep up with the latest Utah small-business news at www.nfib.com/utah
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For 78 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.
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