Looking for one-hundredth of a job? You're in luck

As we all know -- or we all should know -- small business is the real engine of the American economy. Depending on who you ask and how you define a small business, small businesses employ anywhere from half to two-thirds of all Americans in private nonfarm employment. (For the record, the U.S. Census Bureau defines a "small business" as a company with fewer than 500 employees, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, which uses the Census Bureau definition, says such firms employ 52% of all Americans in private-sector nonfarm employment. These firms also represent 99% of all independent businesses in the United States.)

Thus it is that small business has become a hot topic in the debate over how best to stimulate economic recovery. One of the big criticisms of the Obama Administration's healthcare reform bill, for instance, was that it would discourage small firms from taking on new employees because of more burdensome requirements for employer-sponsored health insurance.

Job-seekers can take heart, then, at the following statistic, from a Reuters report in the Chicago Tribune: In November, small businesses expanded their payrolls by an average 0.01 worker per firm. That represents an improvement over October, when small-business payrolls remained flat, and is also the first increase in average small-firm payrolls in two-and-a-half years.

But how did we get to that one-hundredth of a worker figure? This way: 14% of businesses surveyed expanded their payrolls by an average of 3.4 workers, but 16% cut theirs by an average 3.2 positions.

Small though it is, it's still a gain, though, and yet another reason to keep plugging away at your job search.

Looking for a whole job? Start your search at PhillyJobs.com.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his career in public relations and corporate communications. His work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia CityPaper, PGN, and a number of Web sites. Philly-area residents may also recognize him as "MarketStEl" of discussion-board fame. He has been a part of the great reserve army of freelance writers since January 2009 and is actively seeking opportunities wherever they may lie.