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Jobs outlook still bleak for small businesses

As the economy languishes, uncertainty for entrepreneurs and small business owners lingers. The jobs picture for small businesses is not improving.

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LM Otero/AP/File
Job seekers line up to speak to a recruiter during a job fair in Irving, Texas in this July 2012 file photo. For small business, the jobs picture continues to show weak improvement.

The economy continues to languish while the politicians blame each other and business owners continue to wait for signs that things are really going to improve.

The big word for many entrepreneurs is uncertainty.  It is not only uncertainty about when a true recovery will begin, but also uncertainty about things such as tax rates, regulation, and global economic instability.

While the Intuit Small Business Index shows continued weak improvement, other surveys show business owners to be more cautious.

The latest report from the NFIB is more of the same.

“July looked a lot like June in terms of job growth—namely, it was negative”. said chief economist for the NFIB William C. Dunkelberg. “On balance, July looks like a repeat of June, few jobs and no change in the unemployment rate. So far, it has turned out to be a cruel summer of dashed hopes for meaningful job creation.”

SurePayroll’s Small Business Scorecard shows that month-over-month, hiring remains flat and the average paycheck is down.

“Small business owners are optimistic by nature and they know that if you have a good idea you can take advantage of the lower costs in this economy and be successful,” said SurePayroll CEO and President Michael Alter. “Still, we need more incentives for investors to back startups and less tax burdens on small businesses.”

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