Gem State Wire

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has released its latest monthly Jobs Report, highlighting a decline in job creation for February. This marks the highest reading since last August.

Suzanne Budge, state director for NFIB in Idaho, expressed concern over the report's findings. "The prior few months’ Jobs Reports had given some hope of the start of an economic revival along the Main Streets of the nation, but the latest report showed that hope might be a bit premature," Budge said. She emphasized two actions needed: making the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent and preventing increases in minimum wage and local sales taxes.

According to NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg, more than half of Main Street firms attempted to hire staff in February with limited success. He noted that ongoing compensation increases are challenging small business owners seeking qualified workers.

Key points from the report include 38% of small business owners reporting unfilled job openings in February—up three points from January. The sectors with the highest job openings were retail, construction, and manufacturing; agriculture and finance reported the lowest. Labor quality concerns rose to 19%, while labor costs as a primary issue increased to 12%.

Compensation changes remained steady with a net 33% reporting raises in February, unchanged from January. Looking ahead, a net 18% plan compensation hikes within three months—a slight decrease from January.

NFIB’s survey is conducted nationally among its member small-business owners who typically employ between one and nine people with annual gross sales around $500,000.

For further details on small-business news in Idaho, visit www.nfib.com or follow NFIB on X @NFIB_ID.