COLUMBUS, Ohio – NFIB’s March jobs report found that 40% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill during the month, up 2 points from February. A seasonally adjusted net 12% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down 3 points from February. The last time hiring plans were this low was in April 2024.
“Ohio’s small business owners continue to report challenges in finding qualified applicants for their open positions,” said Chris Ferruso, NFIB Ohio state director. “There is still work to do, but we appreciate the General Assembly prioritizing this issue and strengthening our workforce.”

Overall, 53% of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in March, unchanged from February. Forty-seven percent (87% of those hiring or trying to hire) of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Twenty-six percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions, and 21% reported none.

Thirty-three percent have openings for skilled workers (up 2 points) and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (unchanged).

Job openings were the highest in the construction, transportation and manufacturing sectors, and the lowest in the agriculture and wholesale sectors. Job openings in construction were up 10 points from last month, and up 12 points from March 2024. Openings in the transportation sector rose 23 points from February to 53%.

The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem was unchanged from February at 19%. Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners fell 1 point in March to 11%, only 2 points below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021.

Seasonally adjusted, a net 38% of small business owners reported raising compensation in March, up 5 points from February. A net 19% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, up 1 point from February.