Another record high in job openings is not a welcomed statistic

News Release from NFIB Hawaii

HONOLULU, May 6, 2021—Results from the latest Jobs Report released today by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) show another record high. But it’s not one small-business owners are eager to top.

In April’s wake, 44% of small-business owners still having job openings they could not fill. This number was 22 points higher than the 48-year historical average, and two points higher than the 42% figure from March. April is the third consecutive month with a record-high reading of unfilled job openings among small businesses. The Jobs Report is released the first Thursday of every month and is a national sample not broken down by state.

“As Hawaii’s visitors return to stabilize our economy, jobs are returning, and good-paying ones,” said Melissa Pavlicek, NFIB’s Hawaii state director. “Finding and keeping qualified employees has always been a concern for Hawaii small-business owners who don’t have access to the potential employees of other states.”

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“The tight labor market is the biggest concern for small businesses who are competing with various factors such as supplemental unemployment benefits, childcare and in-person school restrictions, and the virus. Many small business owners who are trying to hire are finding themselves unsuccessful and are having to delay the hiring or offer higher wages. Some owners are offering ‘show up’ bonuses for workers who agree to take the job and actually show up for work.”

The NFIB Research Foundation has collected Small Business Economic Trends data with quarterly surveys since 1974 and monthly surveys since 1986. Survey respondents are drawn from NFIB’s membership. The survey was conducted in April 2021 and reflects a random sample of 10,000 small-business owners/members.

Keep up with the latest Hawaii small-business news at www.nfib.com/hawaii or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_HI.

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For more than 77 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.