State Director Rosemary Elebash says the Optimism Index for October reflects the challenges facing many of the state’s Main Street businesses.

“Alabama isn’t immune from the national trends. Inflation and a lack of qualified workers are putting a strain on Main Street businesses.

“If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Alabama’s unemployment rate for September was 2.9 percent, which was lower than the national average. The state’s civilian workforce reached a record high of 2.3 million with over 24,000 people joining the workforce.”

Click here to read the full report on the latest national Small Business Economic Trends survey.