There’s some positive news in the monthly survey of small business released today by NFIB. According to the survey, 12 percent of small business owners throughout the country added an average of 3.5 workers per firm over the past few months, a slight improvement from prior periods.

Quote:

The increase in hiring by small businesses is an encouraging sign for the economy amid estimates that the 16-day government shutdown could have sliced off as much as 0.6 percentage point from fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth….About nine percent of businesses, the smallest share since 2006, reported laying off an average of 2.8 workers. “Reports of workforce reductions have reached sub-normal levels. But owners report sub-par levels of hiring, so job growth remains anemic,” the NFIB said.

Read the full story: U.S. small business hiring up despite government shutdown (Reuters.com)