A poll shows that almost half of small-business employers are optimistic about economic improvement this year. This is cautious optimism, however, as the majority also expressed concern about revenue and hiring plans for the next six months.
In the poll, commissioned by Employers®, America's small business insurance specialist®, 69 percent of small business decision-makers said that concerns about the economy, growing and maintaining their business, expenses and rising fuel costs keep them up at night.
Forty-one percent expect revenue to grow this year compared to 2010 levels, and 49 percent say it will be more than six months before they begin hiring again.
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Fifty-one percent of those polled also said they believe it will be more than 12 months before their sales revenues return to pre-recession levels. This is a significant decline compared to March 2010 results when 39 percent said they didn't expect revenues to return to pre-recession levels for 12 months.
"It's encouraging to see that small businesses are more optimistic about the 2011 economic climate, but disappointing that the majority of them still aren't confidant enough to begin adding new jobs in the near-term – which is a far more important economic indicator. Small businesses are the innovators and job creators our economy needs to realize significant economic growth and Employers encourages policymakers to continue focusing on providing small businesses with the environment they need to grow and succeed," said Douglas D. Dirks, president and chief executive officer of Employers Holdings, Inc.
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