A survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that the US small business confidence has improved in January 2023. NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index improved by 0.5 points to 90.3 last month, pushed by an increase in business owners who expect better business conditions in the coming six months. This sentiment improvement is attributed to the cooling of inflation after it had surged in the first half of 2022, partly due to stretched supply chains. However, labor shortages still remain a major concern for many small businesses across the country, with 45% of owners reporting unfilled job openings.
