Author: wgraham

National Federation of Independent Business (01/13/22) The recent increase in Covid-19 cases has negatively impacted about two-thirds of small business owners, according to a survey of 710 owners by the NFIB Research Center. Eleven percent of owners said the surge in cases had a significant impact on their business, 23% reported a moderate negative impact, and 34% a mild negative impact. Of those negatively impacted,

U.S. Federal Reserve (01/12/22) Economic activity across the U.S. expanded at a modest pace in the final weeks of 2021. Contacts from many Districts indicated growth continued to be constrained by ongoing supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. Although optimism remained high generally, several Districts cited reports from businesses that expectations for growth over the next several months cooled somewhat during the last few weeks.

Omicron may be weighing on job growth for now, but The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index points to strong growth this year. “The Employment Trends Index increased again in December. And based on the latest readings of the index’s components, job growth is likely to be strong in 2022,” said Gad Levanon, head of The Conference Board Labor Markets Institute. “Nevertheless, in the very short

The number of US workers quitting their jobs rose to 4.5 million in November, reaching a record high, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Meanwhile, the quits rate rose to 3.0%, matching a high set in September. Industries seeing the largest increases in quits were “accommodation and food services,” which rose by 159,000, and “healthcare and social assistance,” where quits rose by 52,000.