Small Businesses Report Shows Worker Shortage Remain High in September, NFIB Says

01:06 PM EDT, 10/01/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Small businesses reported that the level of worker shortages eased modestly but remained elevated in September, with a seasonally adjusted 32% of respondents in a National Federation of Independent Business survey released Thursday saying they were having trouble hiring the workers that they needed, down from 35% in the previous month. The NFIB's Small Business Employment Index fell to 100.6 in September from 101.8 in August, above the historical average of 100.0 but below the 2025 average of 101.2. The percentage of business owners reporting labor quality as their top business concern rose to 26% from 23%, while labor costs were listed as single most important concern by 6%, down from 7% in August. "Overall employment conditions are softening, though the small business labor market is still tighter than normal," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. "Between the ongoing difficulty of finding qualified workers and elevated operation costs, employers are proceeding more cautiously as they look to make hiring decisions." About 51% of owners said they were trying to hire in the month, down from 56% in August. Around 87% of the respondents who were hiring or trying to hire reported finding few or no qualified applicants for the position they were trying to fill. Hiring plans for the next three months were unchanged with a net 17% of respondents saying they expect to hire. A seasonally adjusted net 28% of owners said they needed to raise compensation to hire workers in September, down from 31% in August. A net 20% of owners said they plan to raise compensation in the next three months, up from 18% in August.