by Calculated Risk on 8/09/2016 08:37:00 AM

From the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): Small Business Optimism Plateaus

The Index of Small Business Optimism rose one-tenth of a point in July to 94.6 ... according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

Reported job creation remained weak in July, with the seasonally adjusted average employment change per firm posting a decline of -0.03 workers per firm, although better than June’s -0.17 reading. Fifty-three percent reported hiring or trying to hire (down 3 points), but 46 percent reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Fourteen percent of owners cited the difficulty of finding qualified workers as their Single Most Important Business Problem. ... Twenty-six percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, down 3 points from, the highest reading in this recovery.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the small business optimism index since 1986.

The index increased to 94.6 in July.