NFIB: Small Business Optimism Just Fell To 8-Month Low, Hiring Plans Plunge

06-14-2011 • CalculatedRiskBlog.com & BusinessInsider.com

Hiring plans declined in May and are slightly negative. According to NFIB: “[I]ndications of minimal future growth include the fact that in the next three months, 13 percent plan to increase employment (down 3 points), and 8 percent plan to reduce their workforce (up 2 points). That yields a seasonally adjusted net negative 1 percent of owners planning to create new jobs, a 3 point loss from April." Weak sales is still the top business problem with 25 percent of the owners reporting that weak sales continued to be their top business problem in May. In good times, owners usually report taxes and regulation as their biggest problems. The recovery continues to be sluggish for this index, probably somewhat due to the high concentration of real estate related companies.