Recruiting

Small business owners reported an increase in hiring, but a decrease in optimism last month, according to a new survey by the National Federation of Independent Business.

CBIZ reported increased hiring in March, with its Small Business Employment Index rising by 0.69 percent, compared to an increase of 0.25 percent in February.

Optimism among small business owners fell in March, according to a survey by SurePayroll.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 216,000 in March, and the unemployment rate dipped a tenth of a percent to 8.8 percent, the lowest level in two years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Small businesses added 102,000 jobs in March, according to payroll giant ADP, out of a total of 201,000 jobs gained in the private sector.

Small business employment continued to grow in March, according to Intuit, with employers adding 50,000 new jobs.

CFOs cited time management, new technology and accounting regulations as their greatest challenges in a new survey.

Small business owners in the United States intend to add approximately 3.8 million jobs this year, according to a new survey.

Optimism among small business owners increased since the previous month, according to SurePayroll’s Small Business Scorecard for February 2011, reaching 71 percent in February 2011.

The February CBIZ Small Business Employment Index, a barometer for hiring trends among companies with 300 or fewer employees, increased by 0.25 percent through the month, after posting a decrease of 2.62 percent in January, almost a 3 percent upswing in net month over month hiring.

Seven percent of CFOs anticipate adding full-time accounting and finance professionals in the second quarter, while another 7 percent plan personnel reductions, according to a new survey by staffing company Robert Half International.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 192,000 in February, and the unemployment rate dipped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.9 percent.

Private sector employers added 217,000 jobs last month, including 100,000 jobs at small businesses, according to payroll data from ADP.

Small business employment and hours worked continued to grow in February, but the level of wages generally remained flat, according to figures from Intuit.

Accounting Principals, an accounting and finance staffing provider, has published its 2011 Salary Guide, containing up-to-date information on the current compensation trends of finance and accounting professionals across small, medium and large businesses in the U.S.

CBIZ said its index of small business employment suffered its largest drop in employment last month since January 2010.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 of a percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little, with the addition of 36,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

Small business managers are expecting hiring activity within their organizations to improve in 2011, according to a new survey, but say it will likely be hindered by continued challenges related to accessing credit, government regulations and health insurance costs.

Private sector employers in the U.S. added 187,000 jobs last month, according to the latest monthly payroll figures from ADP.