From Helena, Montana, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released its latest monthly Jobs Report, showing that 33% of small business owners nationally reported unfilled job openings in December. This figure is unchanged from November and remains above the historical average of 24%.
Ronda Wiggers, NFIB Montana State Director, commented on the report’s findings: “With our Legislature off for the year, this will be a good time to delve into issues, such as property taxes, to present to lawmakers some well-thought-out ideas upon their return in 2017. Some of the issues will not directly deal with the hiring difficulties found in our latest Jobs Report, but when making decisions on whether or not to hire, or whether or not to even remain in business, employers take everything into consideration and make a judgment based on the whole, not just in parts. In the meantime, Montana small businesses will work with our congressional delegation to pass our nine legislative priorities we have for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.”
The Jobs Report is based on a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners and is not broken down by state. The December survey included responses from 429 randomly selected member firms.
NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg provided further context: “The economic climate continues to support the small business labor market. Although employment conditions vary, fewer owners report labor as their biggest challenge while compensation pressures are escalating.”
Other key findings from December include:
– 53% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire during December, which is a decrease of three percentage points compared to November.
– 19% cited labor quality as their single most important problem, down two points from November.
– A net 31% (seasonally adjusted) reported raising compensation in December—an increase of five points from November—while a net 24% plan to raise compensation over the next three months.
NFIB has represented small and independent businesses for over 80 years at both state and national levels. More information about ongoing advocacy efforts can be found at www.nfib.com.
