SmallBusinessNewz

Sadly, the Dow is down a bit at the moment.  But it's not taking a 200-, 300-, or 400-point plunge, which is a nice change, and new data from the NFIB also acts as a sort of tentative pointer towards the idea that we've hit the recession's bottom.

One of the key differences between the Great Depression and what we're experiencing now is what things look like on the street, right?  Even if the market crashes are almost identical, percentage-wise, there aren't unemployed people standing in lines for jobs, food, and so forth.  It looks like we won't reach that point, either.

The NFIB surveyed 846 small business owners at the end of February and found, "11 percent reported unfilled job openings, unchanged from February and a positive sign going forward.  Job openings are a significant predictor of the unemployment rate.  Over the next three months, 13 percent plan to create new jobs (up four points), and 10 percent plan workforce reductions (down four points), yielding a seasonally adjusted net-negative 3 percent of owners planning to create new jobs, three points better than January . . ."

A formal statement then suggests, "By year end, growth should be positive again, perhaps as strong as a 4 percent annual rate.  Large pools of pent-up demand are forming and will soon begin to be transformed into actual spending."

So keep your fingers crossed, and if you've been thinking about doing some hiring, consider starting soon before all of the best candidates get snatched up by other companies.