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., March 6, 2025—The latest monthly Jobs Report released today by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, showed job creation weakening in February, its highest reading since last August.

“It is deeply troubling that the Washington State Legislature is poised to further depress job creation opportunities with several anti-small-business bills still under consideration,” said Patrick Connor, state director for NFIB in Washington. “The House has passed HB 1788, a $36 million (or more) workers’ compensation benefit increase. HB 1213 would impose a tremendously costly and burdensome job protection and health insurance mandate on the state’s smallest businesses that would push that payroll tax to its legal maximum by 2027.

“Not to be outdone, the state Senate is considering SB 5041, granting unemployment benefits to striking workers. Not only would this tip the scales strongly in favor of unions in labor disputes, but it would also punish the employer being struck with four years of higher unemployment taxes. The bill also threatens to increase unemployment taxes on small employers far removed and uninvolved in the strike due to the spill-over effect if the employer facing the strike is at the maximum tax rate, leaves the state, or closes up shop for good.”

NFIB’s Jobs Report is released the first Thursday of every month. It 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

“Over half of Main Street firms reported hiring or trying to hire in February, but with little success. Meanwhile, consistent compensation increases continue to put pressure on small business owners as they look for qualified workers to fill their many open positions.”

Highlights from the Latest Jobs Report

• 38% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in February, up three points from January and the highest reading since August 2024.
• Job openings were the highest in the retail, construction, and manufacturing sectors, and the lowest in the agriculture and finance sectors. Job openings in construction were up one point from last month, but down seven points from the prior year.
• The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem rose one point from January to 19%. Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners rose three points from January to 12%, only one point below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021. The last time labor costs were ranked this high was February 2023.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 33% of small business owners reported raising compensation in February, unchanged from January. A net 18% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down two points from January.

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 more than 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
NFIB.com/WA
Twitter: @NFIB_WA
Facebook: @NFIB.WA