According to the latest NFIB Jobs Report, small business job openings remained high in August, with 40% of business owners reporting positions they could not fill, up two points from July. Labor quality concerns also grew, with 21% of owners citing it as their top issue, the highest level reported since January 2024.
“Job openings on Main Street remain historically high as small business owners continue to lament the lack of qualified applicants for their open positions,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.
In August, 62% of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire, an increase of five points from July. However, 56% of those hiring reported few or no qualified applicants for open positions, with 31% seeing few qualified candidates and 25% seeing none.
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