According to the National Federation of Independent Business’s monthly jobs report, a net 18 percent (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners plan to raise compensation in the next three months in May, down three points from last month and the lowest reading since March 2021.
“An exceptionally high number of small businesses are still struggling to fill open positions,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist for NFIB. “Although plans to increase compensation have fallen, small firms continue in their efforts to attract and retain workers.”
Labor cost reported as the single most important problem for business owners decreased by one point to 10 percent, three points below the highest reading of 13 percent reached in December 2021. The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top small business operating problem rose one point from April to 20 percent. However, labor quality as small business owners’ top problem has eased considerably over the last two quarters.
Forty-two percent (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in May, up two points from April. A seasonally adjusted net 15 percent of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, up three points from April and the highest reading of the year.
Overall, 60 percent of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in May, up four points from April. Fifty-one percent (85 percent of those hiring or trying to hire) of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Thirty-seven percent have openings for skilled workers and 14 percent have openings for unskilled labor. Job openings were the highest in the construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.