by J.D. Davidson
With thoughts focused on the holiday season, small business owners in Ohio continue to struggle with finding employees.
But that’s not the only issue.
The quality of employees those small businesses do find is also a significant issue, according to the recently released Jobs Report from the National Federation of Small Business.
The national report showed that 35% of small business owners reported job openings they couldn’t fill in October. That’s a point higher than September’s results, which were the lowest reading since January 2021.
Also, small business owners reporting labor quality as their top issue jumped 3 points from September to 20%.
“On Main Street, the job market remains challenging,” National Federation of Small Business chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said. “Although the labor market appears to be softening overall, small business owners reported little success filling their plentiful vacancies in October.”
Although specific numbers for Ohio are not available, National Federation of Small Business Ohio State Director Chris Ferruso said finding workers during the holiday season and a potential tax hike are two significant issues facing businesses around the state.
“As Ohio’s small businesses prepare for the holiday season, the labor market remains a serious challenge for them as they work to hire and create jobs,” Ferruso said. “Owners are concerned that this issue will worsen if Congress doesn’t make the Small Business Deduction permanent and avoid a massive tax hike on Main Street.”
While quality employees and employees in general seem difficult to find for small business owners, more of them are not trying as much to fill those positions.
In October, 53% said they hired or tried to hire in October. That’s 6% less than in September. Also, 46% who said they were hiring or trying to hire reported few or no qualified applicants for open positions.
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An Ohio native, J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
