Isn’t that the truth? Here are some sobering points from a CNNMoney.com article:
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees cut another 75,000 workers in October, according to estimates released Wednesday from payroll processor ADP.
…
A telephone survey of 830 small business owners conducted by management consulting firm George S. May International from Oct. 28-30 found that 74% of the owners polled do not plan to increase their staff headcount in the next 90 days.
It has been our experience that sales hiring typically slows down during the holiday season, but companies often discuss their Q1 hiring plans with the intention of a fast start to the new year. Unfortunately we simply aren’t hearing that talk this year.
The article provides insight into the small business world today (my bold):
After three years of growth, sales at small companies — those with annual revenue of less than $10 million — have declined by nearly 4% this year, according to a recent analysis by Sageworks, which tracks financial data at privately held companies.
There is one type of company that continues to hire – aggressive companies set to grab market share. We are still working with them in assessing sales candidates at a reduced, but steady rate.