Payroll

Minimum wage increases in some states and localities helped boost payrolls a small amount in February at small businesses, according to Paychex.

The professional and business services sector, which includes accounting and tax, lost 57,000 jobs last month, the largest loss since August 2024, ADP reported.

Small business job growth and wage growth last month largely followed the same pattern as late last year, payroll company Paychex reported.

Employment rose by 50,000 jobs in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, while the unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a point to 4.4%.

ADP reported annual pay grew 4.4% year over year, but the professional and business services sector shed 29,000 jobs last month.

Hourly earnings growth at small businesses continued to decelerate in December, reflecting a pattern for much of the year, Paychex reported.

Networth2B, a small business accounting solutions provider specializing in local apps that stay on the user's device, announced the addition of new billing features for professional services providers.

The open enrollment season for employee benefits is underway at many companies, and employees may be seeing changes this year thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act.

Small businesses in particular lost a total of 120,000 jobs.

Last month brought a slight uptick in wage and job growth at small businesses, payroll company Paychex reported.

Safe Harbor, a fintech serving cannabis and hemp operators, launched a platform with bookkeeping, payroll and CFO support.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has ended, but it could take days — and in some cases a week or more — before normal operations and paychecks resume.

Plus, Forwardly announces AI bill pay system; Patriot Software introduces Auto Payroll; and other accounting technology news and updates.

Employers boosted employment in October, while annual pay rose 4.5% year over year, payroll giant ADP reported.

Hourly earnings growth for small business employees slowed slightly last month, but the average number of hours they worked increased, Paychex reported.

Plus, BillingPlatform launches AI monetization offering; Homebase announces payroll assistant; and other accounting tech news.

ADP Research will now be releasing data on a weekly basis, in addition to its monthly report, to provide high-frequency insights into the labor market.

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees maintained steady job growth and hourly earnings growth this past month, according to payroll company Paychex.

The payroll solutions provider rolled out a centralized dashboard to unify payroll management across multiple clients, plus a benefits advisor for accountants.

Plus, ADP launches wave of new AI features; Deloitte announces AI Infrastructure Center of Excellence; and other accounting tech updates.