FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anthony Smith, NFIB Oregon State Director, anthony.smith@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

SALEM, Ore., June 4, 2026—From NFIB Oregon State Director Anthony Smith on today’s release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), showing the Small Business Employment Index remaining essentially flat, registering 100.3 in May after measuring 100.4 in April. This is the third consecutive month the Index declined. The current reading is now below the 2025 average of 101.2, but still slightly above the historical average of 100.0.

“With labor costs at an all-time high, it’s understandable that small business owners are putting new job creation and hiring plans on the back burner, but we can’t stay here forever. State and federal policymakers should prioritize the small business economy so it can regain its hiring and business expansion traction – and avoid imposing new costs on businesses.

“Fortunately, when lawmakers get it wrong, voters get the final say. They did that in a big way last month when they overwhelmingly rejected Ballot Measure 120. Oregonians need leaders who will listen to them – not endlessly raise their taxes.”

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“Labor costs increased significantly to the highest reading in the survey’s history. Small business owners are facing mounting pressure to retain workers, and many firms are navigating costly new state mandates. While current conditions restrict Main Street’s already-thin profit margins, compensation measures remain steady for now.”

Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report

• Labor costs increased to the highest reading in history for the survey’s question about business challenges. Fourteen percent of business owners reported labor costs as their single most important problem, up 5 points from April.
• A seasonally adjusted net 9% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down 4 points from April and marking the lowest level since May 2020.
• Plans to hire are now below its historical average of a net 11%.
• In May, 13% of small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, down 5 points from April and marking the lowest level since December 2016.

Keep up with the latest Oregon small business news at www.nfib.com or on X at @NFIB_OR

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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 its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

National Federation of Independent Business
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