Two Reports on Small Business Hiring That Belong in the Same Conversation

Two reports came out last week that I think belong in the same conversation.

NFIB's September jobs report has 26% of small business owners naming labor quality or availability as the single biggest problem they have, roughly double the long-run average. About a third have openings they can't fill.

A day later the U.S. Chamber released its annual report on technology in small business. Four times as many owners said AI is creating permanent jobs at their company as said it's letting them cut headcount, and the businesses using AI were more likely to have added people in the past year.

Where is your best person spending hours on something that isn't really their job?

That lines up with what I see. Most owners I sit down with aren't looking to replace anybody. They're trying to keep good people from getting buried in the stuff that eats the day, like typing the same job details into three systems, chasing a quote that went out last Tuesday, or answering the same handful of questions on the phone. When that gets lighter, the business can take on more work, and more work is usually what leads to the next hire.

So if you've had a position open since summer, here's a question worth asking. Where is your best person spending hours on something that isn't really their job? That's usually where I'd start.

If that sounds familiar, I'm always glad to talk it through over coffee.

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