by Calculated Risk on 5/14/2019 09:01:00 AM

CR Note: Most of this survey is noise, but there is some information, especially on the labor market and the "Single Most Important Problem".

From the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): April 2019 Report: Small Business Optimism Index

The Small Business Optimism Index improved, increasing 1.7 points to 103.5. One Index component fell, one was unchanged, and eight improved.
..
More new jobs were created in April, although at a slower pace than in the last quarter, with a net addition of 0.32 workers per firm.
…
Twenty-four percent of owners cited the difficulty of finding qualified workers as their Single Most Important Business Problem, 1 point below the record high.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the small business optimism index since 1986.

The index increased to 103.5 in April.

Note: Usually small business owners complain about taxes and regulations (currently 2nd and 3rd on the "Single Most Important Problem" list).  However, during the recession, "poor sales" was the top problem. Now the difficulty of finding qualified workers is the top problem.