Small business continues hiring spree

Small businesses are where most of the nations jobs are created. Good news: they are growing & hiring.

A new survey of about 18,000 businesses by SurePayroll, a Chicago-based payroll-service firm, found that hiring has climbed about 0.7% year-to-date through February, after declining 0.2% in all of 2006.

Of 21 "benchmark" states the survey looks at, businesses surveyed in New Jersey and Utah reported adding the most employees, climbing 2.6% and 1.8%, respectively, while Virginia and Michigan businesses shed the most. Paychecks in Nevada and Virginia increased on average the most, gaining 4.2% and 2.5%, respectively. The western U.S. saw the most growth in both average paychecks and jobs, the survey found.

source: WSJ