According to Intuit, Inc., Small businesses were still hiring in August despite the downward trend in jobs and upward trend in jobless benefits applications. This would seem to be pretty good news, considering the job market has been on a perilous downhill slide for the past 6 months. Washington had hoped that the unemployment rates would hold steady or even drop in August, but that was not the case. Still, in spite of the hiring by small businesses in August, the workers were getting fewer hours in, and being paid less. Many of them are discovering that they could be better off unemployed and collecting benefits, so more joblessness is expected in September.
During the time period between July 24 and Aug. 23, Intuit noticed that small business employment crept slowly up 0.18%, seeming to be an annual growth rate of 2.2%. And yet, hours worked during the period dropped or really dived down to 0.3% to an average of 108 hours at the same time compensation declined another 0.08% to an average monthly pay of $2,649. Many people are working for hourly wages that place them below the poverty level. For example: a single parent earning $13 per hour in Moore County, NC, is not earning a “living wage” according to government calculators.
http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/counties/37125
Even though in August a few small businesses did open up a certain number of jobs, they are paying less for the work their employees do. Many people are doing the work that is normally assigned to more than one position as hiring is stymied. In September, the national unemployment rate rose again, as it did in North Carolina.
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