From NFIB Oregon State Director Anthony Smith on the recent release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), showing that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in October, unchanged for the second month in a row.
“Another monthly report showing small business owners persist in their struggle to find qualified job applicants for the open positions they’re offering is, as NFIB’s chief economist points out, the new normal in the post-COVID labor market. It will take many factors over time to change this, but the Oregon Legislature could start by improving our dismal corporate (49th) and individual (41st) rankings from the Tax Foundation’s recently released 2026 State Tax Competitive Index. Oregon is losing ground, falling behind two more states this year to 35th overall, which helps explain why our unemployment rate is worryingly higher than the national average.”
NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year. This report is based on 984 respondents to the October survey of a random sample of NFIB’s member firms, surveyed through October 31, 2025.
From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg
“The post-COVID labor market appears to have mostly normalized on Main Street. Jobs are plentiful albeit declining, while qualified applicants are scarce but increasing for some industries.”
Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report
- A seasonally adjusted net 15% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down one point from September. This marks the first decline since hiring plans started to increase in May 2025.
- In October, 27% of small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, up nine points from September and the highest level since the record high of 29% in November 2021.
- Labor quality reported as the single most important problem was the highest in the construction, transportation, and professional services industries, and lowest in finance and agriculture.
- Seasonally adjusted, a net 26% of small business owners reported raising compensation in October, down five points from September. A net 19% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, unchanged from September.
