Small Business Optimism Unchanged in May

Washington, DC, June 12, 2012 -- Small business owners' optimism was little changed in May and overall they remain fairly pessimistic about how business will fare in the coming months, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

NFIB's index declined to 94.4 from 94.5 in April.

One positive component of the index is a 1 percentage point increase in the number of owners planning to hire.

However, more than a third said they had problems finding qualified workers.
Most of the owners hadn't added to their staff counts in recent months.

Also, fewer owners expected their sales to rise soon, falling by 4 percentage points.

The number of owners who plan capital outlays, or spending on investment or to expand, fell 1 percentage point.