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Small Businesses Are Hiring and Raising Pay, but Qualified Applicants Are Scarce (Nov. 10, 2026)

· Aggressive Hiring Group

Small businesses are hiring more, but they still can't find enough qualified people. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) October jobs report and its Small Business Optimism survey, released Nov. 10, show owners ready to add jobs and raise pay, with a shortage of qualified applicants holding them back. Here's what that means as of Tuesday, November 10, 2026, if you're hiring in Monroe, southeast Michigan, northwest Ohio or anywhere else.

The key numbers

  • Unfilled openings: 36% of small business owners had job openings they could not fill in October, up 4 points from September and 12 points above the historical average.
  • Actively hiring: 56% of owners were hiring or trying to hire, up 5 points. A net 18% plan to create new jobs over the next three months.
  • Few or no qualified applicants: 86% of owners who were hiring reported few or no qualified applicants. Overall, 28% of owners reported few qualified applicants and 20% reported none.
  • Skilled roles: 31% of owners have openings for skilled workers, while 15% have openings for unskilled labor.
  • Raising pay: A net 29% raised compensation in October, and a net 24% plan to raise it in the next three months, the highest level since December 2025.
  • Top problem: 25% named labor quality or availability as their single most important problem, 13 points above the historical average of 12%. It was the top issue for the fourth month in a row.
  • Optimism: The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index was 97.8, down 0.1 from September and just below the 53-year average of 98.0.

What it means for employers

Demand for workers is rising, and the problem is supply. When nearly nine in ten hiring owners say qualified applicants are scarce, posting a job and waiting is not much of a plan. Owners are already responding by raising pay, which means competition for good candidates is getting more expensive.

A few practical steps help: spell out the pay and shift up front, move quickly from application to offer, and keep a bench of pre-screened candidates ready so an opening doesn't sit for weeks. Smaller employers without a full-time recruiter feel this most, and it's where a staffing partner can fill the gap.

What's next

The October consumer price index comes out today, Nov. 10. Wednesday is Veterans Day, and the next weekly jobless claims report arrives Thursday, Nov. 12.

Struggling to find qualified people for warehouse, logistics, industrial or office roles? Aggressive Hiring Group has pre-screened candidates ready to go, in Monroe, MI and nationwide. Call us today at 734.785.8968 or request staff online.

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