NFIB: Small businesss freeze hiring in September

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
Small businesses in the U.S. effectively instituted a hiring freeze in September, according to a monthly survey produced by the National Federation of Independent Business
The NFIB said an index that measures hiring fell 5 percentage points last month to -3%
Some 77% of small businesses made no change in hiring, 13% reduced employment and 10% added workers, the survey found
"It isn't any wonder that small firms are not hiring," said William Dunkelberg, chief economist of the NFIB
"Given the tenuous political and economic atmosphere, owners are right to remain pessimistic about the future. They have been given little reason to increase their employment rolls."