March 2009 Regional Small Business Trends

On a regional basis, small business hiring was up in March 2009 in every region. Small business salaries, on the other hand, were down in all four regions.

With respect to year-to-date performance, hiring changes for the Midwest, Northeast, South and West are 1.6 percent, 2.2 percent, 1.4 percent and -0.6 percent, respectively.

Year-to-date regional salary changes are -0.8 percent, -2.2 percent, -2.1 percent and
-0.1 percent, respectively.

Regional Data Below is the monthly SurePayroll Scorecard data for each region for February.

The SurePayroll Hiring Index and the SurePayroll Pay Index are generated as part of SurePayroll’s Small Business Scorecard, an economic indicator that tracks the health of the U.S. small business economy. The Small Business Scorecard is generated from actual payroll data — paychecks issued to contractors and employees — for tens of thousands of small businesses nationwide.

Questions regarding the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard can be directed to Michael Alter. Michael can be reached at malter@surepayroll.com or by phone at 847.676.8420 ext. 7229.