Workforce

As entrepreneurs continue to navigate a number of challenges operating their businesses, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and managers nationwide to understand their current business conditions and how they may have benefited from federal relief programs. The survey found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of small businesses felt more optimistic about their business prospects for this year's second quarter. Despite this optimism, small businesses are facing a number of challenges, including inflation, supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages.

From ongoing supply chain disruptions to new fears surrounding potential impacts stemming from new coronavirus variants, small business owners continue to face uncertainty about the future of their businesses. A new survey from Small Business Majority sheds a light on how supply chain disruptions are impacting small businesses during the crucial fourth quarter, as well as their views on the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for businesses with 100 or more employees, and key components in the Build Back Better plan that are being negotiated in the U.S. Senate.

California lawmakers are weighing a proposal to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for customers at consumer-facing businesses and to similarly require employers to mandate vaccinations or negative COVID-19 tests for employees. New opinion polling from Small Business Majority reveals that small businesses in California are supportive of proposals to mandate vaccinations and testing at places of business to help ensure local economies can operate safely, amid setbacks from the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

As lawmakers in Washington consider a robust budget reconciliation package to invest in “human infrastructure” and debate how to pay for this plan, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and managers of operations at small businesses around the country to better understand their views on our tax system, as well as their opinions on tax policies that have been proposed to offset the costs of the human infrastructure plan. 

As Congress debates a bipartisan infrastructure plan and a larger $3.5 trillion investment in “human infrastructure,” Small Business Majority surveyed its network to understand their views on key issues being considered such as child care and paid family and medical leave. The survey also examined how small businesses are navigating mask and vaccination requirements, as an increase in coronavirus cases becomes a concern for employers and local economies.