Sage SMB Hiring Outlook: Small And Midsized Businesses Cautiously Optimistic

By Joe Langner, EVP of Mid-Market Solutions, Sage North America

As America’s small and midsized businesses continue to weather economic uncertainty and rising business costs, many are keeping tight reins on hiring. Only a quarter of businesses with one to 500 employees surveyed recently by Sage North America have increased or plan to increase the size of their workforce in 2013, and nearly half plan to keep it the same.

The results of the snapshot survey of hiring plans, conducted among 973 executives of small and midsized businesses in the U.S., appear to reflect the latest unemployment numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As reported in April, the country’s unemployment rate was little changed at 7.5 percent, with an estimated 11.7 million people unemployed.  Employment did increase slightly in professional and business services, food services and drinking places, retail trade, and health care — many of which are small and midsized companies. The survey was conducted by Sage in May 2013, and the margin of error is +/- 3 percent with a confidence level of 95 percent.

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