--- title: "Report Finds Compensation and Labor Problems Still Vexing Business Owners" url: https://burnaze.com/article/29b7f75a-bd40-48a2-9338-45cb76d0a961 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/report_finds_compensation_and_labor_problems_still_vexing_business_owners.html author: "Kerry Pipes" category: "Finance" topics: ["Finance & M&A","Operations"] published: 2022-02-07T11:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T01:15:54.405Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6544_plate.jpg --- # Report Finds Compensation and Labor Problems Still Vexing Business Owners **TL;DR:** NFIB's monthly jobs report shows small businesses struggling to find employees and increasing compensation, with a net 50% of owners raising compensation and 27% planning to do so in the next three months. A net 50% of small business owners reported raising compensation, up two points from December and a 48-year record high reading. *By Kerry Pipes, originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-02-07. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/report_finds_compensation_and_labor_problems_still_vexing_business_owners.html).* ## Story Small businesses are still struggling to find employees and being forced to increase compensation, according to NFIB’s monthly jobs report . A net 50% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported raising compensation, up two points from December and a 48-year record high reading. A net 27% plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down five points from December. “Small business owners are managing the reality that the number of job openings exceeds the number of unemployed workers, producing a tight labor market and adding pressure on wage levels,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Reports of owners raising compensation continues at record-high levels to attract applicants to their open positions.” Twenty-three percent of owners said that labor quality was their top business problem, down two points from December. Eleven percent of owners cited labor costs as their top business problem. Reports of labor costs as the top business problem are at 48-year record high levels, just two points below December’s record-breaking 13%. - Get Started in Franchising - Franchise Rankings & Awards - Franchise Sales & Development - Featured Franchise Stories Franchising.com is produced by Franchise Update Media. Franchise Update Media has its finger on the pulse of franchising with unrivalled audience intelligence and market driven data. No media company understands the franchise landscape deeper than Franchise Update Media. 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A Washington, DC 20005 PH. (408) 402-5681 - Franchisee Financing & Lending - Site Selection & Real Estate - Supply Chain & Procurement - Annual Franchise Development Report - Multi-Unit Franchising Conference - Franchise Growth & Marketing Conference - Franchise Leadership & Development Conference - Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine - Franchise Update Magazine - Franchise Update Franchisor Report - Franchising Express Report - International Franchise Report - Multi-Unit Franchisee Report The multi-unit franchise opportunities listed above are not related to or endorsed by Multi-Unit Franchisee or Franchise Update Media Group. We are not engaged in, supporting, or endorsing any specific franchise, business opportunity, company or individual. No statement in this site is to be construed as a recommendation. We encourage prospective franchise buyers to perform extensive due diligence when considering a franchise opportunity. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - General (sector) - Kerry Pipes (person) - small business (topic) - labor costs (topic) - labor market (topic) - compensation (topic) --- Originally reported by Kerry Pipes, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/report_finds_compensation_and_labor_problems_still_vexing_business_owners.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/29b7f75a-bd40-48a2-9338-45cb76d0a961).