Our Research: Workforce
While small business owners spend their days concentrating on whatever their particular specialty is--be it marketing services, dry cleaning or landscaping, there's one thing they all have in common: they have to contend with a host of larger issues ranging from employee pay and benefits, medical leave issues, nondiscrimination and more. These are issues they deal with often times on a daily basis, which means they know better than most what kind of solutions would be helpful when shaping public policy. The topics below clearly outline small business owners' opinions on these important workforce topics.
Small Business Majority released a scientific opinion poll that found the majority of small businesses support publicly-administered paid family and medical leave insurance programs, which would allow employees to receive partial income when they need to take time off to recover from a serious illness or care for a new child or sick family member.
On December 15, Small Business Majority released a new scientific opinion poll that found a majority of Colorado small businesses believe business owners should not be allowed to deny services to LGBT individuals based on the owner’s religious beliefs, including for wedding-related services.
It’s no secret that big businesses struggle to find skilled and credentialed employees. But this issue also impacts our nation’s job creators: small businesses. New scientific polling shows small businesses around the country believe lack of education, experience and training is one of biggest challenges they face when it comes to hiring and employment, and they’re willing to act to ensure they have the skilled workers they need to run their businesses.
New scientific polling in Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi and New Mexico shows small business hiring of lower-level employees is diverse, but more can be done to increase diversity in the hiring of upper-management employees.
Small businesses make up 99 percent of businesses in the United States and employ about 56 million of the nation’s private sector workers. New scientific polling shows small business hiring of lower-level employees is diverse and varies geographically, but more can be done to increase diversity in the hiring of upper-management employees.
Small business owners are doing everything they can to grow their businesses in our slowly-recovering economy. In order to thrive, entrepreneurs need smart policies that help bolster their bottom lines and fuel the consumer demand that underpins economic success. They believe increasing the federal minimum wage will help do this.
Scientific opinion polling shows small business owners support implementing laws that would allow employees to earn paid sick days to use when they or an immediate family member is sick, and the majority also offer a variety of benefits to their employees.
Many small business owners think of their employees as family, and they believe in taking care of their employees in order to retain a happy and loyal workforce and to attract top talent. They also know it’s important for their employees to be able to balance their work and family responsibilities.
The topic of religious liberty and how it relates to business practices has been front and center in the media. And once again, small businesses are in the middle of the debate. A national scientific opinion poll conducted for Small Business Majority by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research found entrepreneurs strongly believe small business owners should not be able to refuse goods or services to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) individuals, or to deny services related to the wedding of a same-sex couple, based on an owner’s religious beliefs.
Scientific opinion poll finds small business owners are hiring, but those doing so are having a hard time finding candidates with the right background; they support programs such as apprentice and internships to identify and increase the number of qualified workers.
