Although small businesses vary widely in terms of size, industry and issues, they do appear to be generally united by a growing uneasiness about the economy.
FILE- In this Oct. 28, 2017, file photo the storefront window of a portrait studio is lit up along a downtown street at dusk in Lumberton, N.C. Several surveys and economic reports released in recent weeks show that company owners have more trust in their businesses than the national or local economy, and that they’re running their businesses more conservatively in response to uncertainty about overall business conditions.
In a survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife taken in January, 53 percent of the 1,001 randomly selected small business owners questioned said they believe the national economy is in good shape, down from 58 percent in a survey taken in the last quarter of 2018. Fifty-three percent said their local economy is in goodA small business index that accompanied the survey fell to 65.6 from 69.3 in the fourth quarter.
Hiring has also slowed, according to the ISM and to a report from payroll provider ADP, which said its small business customers added just 12,000 jobs in February, down from 107,000 in January.
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