NFIB Report: Hiring Difficulties Persist for Small Businesses

More than half of owners surveyed reported trying to hire in January

February 19, 2025

WASHINGTON — The January jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) found that 35% (seasonally adjusted) of small-business owners reported job openings they could not fill in January, unchanged from December.

Job openings were the highest in the transportation, construction and manufacturing sectors, and the lowest in the agriculture and finance sectors. Job openings in construction were up four points from last month and down two points from the prior year.

“Small-business owners are certainly feeling hopeful about the direction of the economy,” says NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “However, employment remains a top concern as Main Street owners continue to face challenges in finding qualified employees to fill their open positions.”

Overall, 52% of small-business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in January, down three points from December. Forty-seven percent (90% of those hiring or trying to hire) of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Twenty-four percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions, and 23% reported none.

Twenty-nine percent have openings for skilled workers (unchanged) and 10% have openings for unskilled labor (down three points).

A seasonally adjusted net 18% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down one point from December.

The share of small-business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem fell one point from December to 18%. Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners fell two points from December to 9%, only four points below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021.

Seasonally adjusted, a net 33% of small-business owners surveyed reported raising compensation in January, up four points from December’s lowest reading since March 2021. A net 20% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down four points from December.