Small businesses created 63,000 private sector jobs in August, according the ADP, which released its monthly Small Business Employment Report today. The number is up slightly from July, when small businesses added 61,000 jobs. As I mentioned last month, these are modest gains, but not uncommon for the summer months.
Looking at company size, very small businesses (those with 1-19 employees) added 24,000 jobs, and other small businesses (those with 20-49 employees) added 38,000 jobs.
Of course, overall numbers do not tell the whole story. Much last in July, small businesses in the service-producing sector had all the gains, while small businesses in the goods-producing sector lost jobs in the month of August. Very small businesses in the goods-producing sector lost 1,000 jobs and other small businesses lost 3,000 jobs. In contract, very small businesses in the service-providing sector added 25,000 jobs, other small businesses added 41,000 jobs.
Now let us compare this report to the report for overall job growth. According to the ADP’s National Employment Report, the U.S. added 177,000 jobs in August – down just slightly from 179,000 jobs added in June. Despite the slight dip, these numbers reflect continued, healthy growth.
These numbers also seem to indicate that that, while employers continue to add jobs, they are being cautious in their efforts – for good reason: It is far too easy to make a costly hiring mistake. Consider these tips for avoiding the most common hiring mistakes.
