JEFFERSON CITY — National Federation of Independent Business’s (NFIB) September jobs report found that 32 percent (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in September, unchanged from August. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32 percent was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (unchanged), and 13 percent have openings for unskilled labor (unchanged).

“Main Street job openings remain above their historical average, with owners reporting few qualified applicants,” said Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “While a recession appears unlikely, small business owners continue to experience economic uncertainty as many owners continue to grapple with labor imbalances.”

“Our members want to hire,” NFIB State Director Brad Jones said. “But qualified applicants are in short supply. That’s contributing to some uncertainty within the small business community.”

A seasonally adjusted net 16 percent of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, up 1 point from August and the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Hiring plans are at their highest level since January.

Overall, 58 percent of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in September, up 5 points from August. Fifty percent (88 percent of those hiring or trying to hire) of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill, up 7 points. Twenty-nine percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions and 21 percent reported none.

In September, 18 percent of small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, down 3 points from August. Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners rose 3 points from August to 11 percent.

Seasonally adjusted, a net 31 percent of small business owners reported raising compensation in September, up 2 points from August. A net 19 percent (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down 1 point from August.

NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.