Good news for those of you happy to see 2011 disappear: Business owners' optimism and hiring plans are looking up as 2012 gets underway, according to a monthly indicator of the U.S. small-business economy.
Half of small-business owners said they plan to hire in 2012, and 56% said they intend to raise wages for some or all employees, the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard reported today.
"We saw caution in 2011, but the leading indicators suggest 2012 looks positive," said SurePayroll CEO and President Michael Alter. "The sun is on the horizon. Optimism is higher, 50 percent plan to hire and wages look to go up."
The monthly scorecard also noted that optimism among small-business owners rose to 63%, up 10 percentage points in the last two months.
Could 2012 be a year of opportunity for you? Our recent article "7 tips for becoming your own boss in 2012" offers good advice from experts on how to start and/or grow a business this year.
