New Survey: Small Biz Outlook ‘Somewhat Positive’

A new survey has revealed that the economic outlook among small businesses is “somewhat positive,” the same as it was a year ago at this time.

Created by Thumbtack and Bloomberg, the survey reaches over 10,000 small businesses each month to ask about their financial situation, recent and prospective hiring, pricing policies, and more. Thumbtack, which connects consumers with professionals to complete projects, has surveyed small businesses for over December 2012.

Among the other results of the survey:

  • Employers generally feel better about the economy than business owners who operate alone, with a consistent four-point spread between the two.
  • Expectations of inflation remain in check, but Thumbtack’s Inflation Index shows that employers expect to pay their employees more.
  • The West and Northeast are lagging slightly behind the South and Midwest in economic sentiment.

“We are  excited to be able to share this new survey, which will capture the sentiment of thousands of small businesses nationwide on a monthly basis,” said Thumbtack chief economist Jon Lieber. “Many of these business owners have few or no employees, and are often overlooked in other widely tracked business surveys. We hope to offer new insights and a better understanding into what’s happening in this critical segment of the nation’s workforce and the American economy.”

Full results of the survey and more details are available on Thumbtack’s Web site.

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