Silver State Times

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has released its latest monthly Jobs Report, highlighting ongoing challenges for small businesses in finding qualified employees. Tray Abney, Nevada State Director for NFIB, noted that while optimism is rising among small business job creators as 2025 begins, the struggle to find suitable workers persists. He urged Congress and the Nevada State Legislature to implement policies that support workforce education and training without harming small businesses.

The report provides a national overview of NFIB-member small-business owners but does not offer state-specific data. Typically, an NFIB member employs about ten people and reports annual gross sales of approximately $500,000. The organization plans to release its latest Small Business Optimism Index on January 14.

Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB Chief Economist, commented on the report's findings: "Finding qualified workers remained a major headwind for stronger job growth on Main Street in December. In the meantime, compensation increases have softened among small businesses but remained solid as the year came to an end."

Key points from the report include that 35% of small business owners reported unfilled job openings in December, a slight decrease from November. Additionally, 29% reported raising compensation during December, marking a decline since March 2021. Looking ahead, 19% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months.

The sectors with the highest job openings were transportation, construction, and manufacturing. Conversely, agriculture and finance reported the lowest number of job openings. Notably, construction saw a significant drop in open positions compared to both last month and the previous year.

For more information on Nevada's small-business news or to access this release online, visit www.nfib.com/nevada or follow NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_NV.