(The Center Square) – A trade association that promotes small businesses around Ohio and the country wants to highlight the impact of small businesses on their community as the holiday shopping season hits full swing.
The National Association of Independent Business recently released a report that showed the impact of small business owners in their community through volunteer efforts, financial support and in-kind contributions.
According to the report, 90% of small business owners have financially supported community or civil groups, charities, youth sports programs, religious organizations and other activities in the past year.
“As the holiday season begins, we encourage everyone to shop small and support their local small businesses,” Chris Ferruso, NFIB Ohio state director, said. “Small businesses are the backbone of Ohio’s economy, and Small Business Saturday is the perfect occasion to buy directly from Main Street.”
The report showed the most common way small businesses support their community is through financial contributions.
Another recent NFIB report showed small businesses throughout the state and the nation continue to face employee challenges. Despite slight easing, the report showed that 34% of small business owners nationally continue to report job openings they can’t fill.
That’s a better number than in previous months, but Ferruso thinks business owners are still working to end the year strong.
“As we move into the final quarter of 2024, the worker shortage has eased slightly for Main Street but is still a major concern for many of Ohio’s small businesses,” Ferruso said. “Owners are raising compensation to stay competitive and are hopeful to end the year in a better place.”
Across the nation, according to the report, 59% of owners said they hired or tried to hire in September, down 3 points from August. Ninety percent of those hiring or trying to hire say they are getting few or no qualified applications.