Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Sep 1
U.S. Small Businesses Extend Weekly Hours Growth to 6 Months as August Jobs Index Holds at 99.13
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Sep 1

U.S. Small Businesses Extend Weekly Hours Growth to 6 Months as August Jobs Index Holds at 99.13

1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Sep 1

Summary

  • Weekly hours worked at U.S. small businesses rose 0.07% in August, marking a sixth straight month of gains—the longest such stretch since October 2020.
  • Paychex said continued demand and a tight labor market pushed employers to lean on existing staff rather than significantly expand hiring, leaving the small-business jobs index little changed at 99.13.
  • Hourly earnings growth edged up to 2.89% but stayed below 3% for a 24th consecutive month, while weekly earnings growth reached 3.00%.
  • Regionally, the Midwest led employment growth with a 99.48 jobs index, the West posted a 0.41-point gain, and Phoenix topped major metros at 100.81 for the seventh time in the past year.

Insights

If wage growth has stabilized below three percent, how are small business employees managing the persistent headwinds of everyday inflation?
With employers stretching existing staff for six straight months, are small businesses approaching a critical breaking point in worker burnout?