Conflicting Reports on Small Business Hiring: What Do You Believe

As the economy progresses through recovery mode, we’re seeing many signs of an economy that is steadying out. Stock prices continue to rise as the unemployment rate lowers. But when it comes to small businesses, reports are beginning to conflict with one another.

Businessweek.com reported that SurePayroll, which monitors more than 15,000 payroll records for small businesses, found that small business hiring fell 0.2 percent between March and April and is down 1.5 for the entire year.

But the National Federation of Independent Business members reported that small business hiring increased at the average firm by 0.14 percent, and the CBIZ Small Business Employment Index showed hiring rose month-over-month by 0.43 percent in April, according to Businessweek.com.

So what do you believe?

The conflicting numbers could be representative of the culture of small businesses right now. While some may find themselves on the upswing; others might still be struggling. In the event that your small business falls into the latter category, there is hope. The NFIB also reported that some survey respondents plan to increase head count over the next few months, as stated in Businessweek.com.

When the economy begins to bless your small business, it might be time for you to add to your head count as well. Rather than spending all of your time and money on traditional methods of talent acquisition, though, it may be time to branch out and look to alternative sources for finding the right candidates.

For instance, LinkedIn, the giant social platform for working professionals, has several features that make it easier and much cheaper for large companies and small businesses alike to find the perfect job candidates.

Social media also helps to get the word out about your small business hiring as well. If you haven’t invested the time into a Facebook page, now is the time. You’ll be able to reach out to followers who have a genuine interest in your company and your product. And now more than ever, it’s vital to your small business success to have an online presence.

Furthermore, Spark Hire offers you the opportunity to interview prospective job candidates over video rather than having them come into the office for a first round interview. This enables you to look for talent outside of your geographic location as well as share recorded interviews with the rest of your small business, making hiring decisions as a whole.

So whether your small business hiring is up or down, it’s time to start planning for growth. Get the word out about your small business and eventually, your open job opportunities through your online presence.

From your perspective, is hiring increasing or decreasing for small businesses? Leave a comment below.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER