BizSugar.com › News and Politics › Small Business Not Looking All So Bleak Right Now, Survey Finds

Amid all the gloom out there, a new survey actually points to some positive signs for small businesses — and for those people thinking of hanging their own shingle for the first time.

Payroll administrator SurePayroll, which conducts a monthly survey tracking small-business optimism and hiring trends, found that small businesses increased their hiring by 0.26% in November. For the year, small business hiring has climbed 3.3% — not shabby, considering all the layoff news these days rolling in from big corporations like AT&T and even Google.

The survey suggests many small businesses aren't collectively feeling the pain of the bad economy and that businesses in certain U.S. regions are faring better than others. The Midwest, Northeast and South experienced growth in small-business hiring so far this year, while hiring in the West contracted. Salaries declined at small businesses in all regions except the West, where salaries have risen 5.3% so far this year — perhaps because the work is being spread between fewer people.