NFIB Weekly News
Leading the News
NFIB Urges U.S. Senate Committee to Unlock Affordable Healthcare Options on Main Street (11/19/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 19, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, submitted testimony for the record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance ahead of its hearing entitled, “The Rising Cost of Health Care: Considering Meaningful Solutions for all Americans” outlining the impact high health premium costs are having on small business owners and offering solutions to address the growing affordability crisis.
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NFIB: Latest Credit Card Anti-Trust Settlement Still Not Good Enough (11/10/2025)
Small Businesses Continue Advocating for Credit Card Network Competition
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Congress Must Immediately Repeal BOI Reporting Requirements (10/16/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 16, 2025) – Today, National Review published an op-ed from NFIB President Brad Close urging Congress to immediately repeal the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting Requirement. Close explains why the government mandate is invasive and unnecessary, and emphasizes the threat of prison time and massive fines for 32 million American small business owners if Congress does not provide permanent relief.
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NFIB Urges Lawmakers to Reject Big-Union Backed Legislation That Threatens Small Businesses (10/09/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 9, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) outlining how legislation under consideration by the Committee during its hearing entitled, “Labor Law Reform Part 1: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals” would impact small businesses.
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Small Businesses Join Amicus Brief Challenging Agency Defiance (10/06/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 6, 2025) – NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case Ohio Telecom Association, et al. v. Federal Communications Commission, et al. at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The case asks whether federal agencies can reissue regulations that Congress previously overturned under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). NFIB joined the Washington Legal Foundation in filing the brief, which challenges the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) disregard for Congress’ repeal of a previous, nearly identical consumer privacy rule.
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A seasonally adjusted 32% of small business owners report unfilled job openings (10/02/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 2, 2025) – NFIB’s September jobs report found that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in September, unchanged from August. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32% was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (unchanged), and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (unchanged).
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Business Climate
NEW NFIB SURVEY: Small Business Optimism Takes a Small Step Back as Uncertainty Eases in October (11/11/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 11, 2025) – The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index declined 0.6 points in October to 98.2 but remained above its 52-year average of 98. The Uncertainty Index fell 12 points from September to 88, the lowest reading of this year.
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NEW NFIB SURVEY: Small Business Optimism Declines in September (10/14/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct.14, 2025) – The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index declined 2.0 points in September to 98.8. This was the first decline in three months, though it remains above the survey’s 52-year average of 98. The Uncertainty Index rose 7 points from August to 100, the fourth-highest reading in over 51 years.
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Small Business Optimism Continues Climb in August (09/22/2025)
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index continues to rise with a slight increase of 0.5 points in August to 100.8, nearly three points above the 52-year average of 98. An increase in those expecting real sales to be higher is the biggest contributor. For the second straight month, labor quality remains as the top issue for small businesses, with 21% of respondents reporting it as their single most important problem, the same percentage as July’s report.
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NEW NFIB SURVEY: Small Business Optimism Improves Again (09/09/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 9, 2025) – The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 0.5 points in August to 100.8, nearly 3 points above the 52-year average of 98. Of the 10 Optimism Index components, four increased, four decreased, and two were unchanged. The increase in those expecting real sales to be higher contributed the most to the rise in the Optimism Index. The Uncertainty Index fell by 4 points to 93 but remained well above the historical average. The decline was due to a decrease in uncertainty about financing expectations and planned capital expenditures.
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NFIB Launches Small Business Deduction Thank You Ads for Lawmakers (09/02/2025)
Making the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction permanent has been one of the biggest wins for small businesses in recent years. This massive achievement was made possible by the tireless efforts of the small business community urging lawmakers to provide critical tax relief for nearly 33 million small businesses. NFIB’s launch of digital, billboard, and radio ads thank Congress for preventing a massive tax hike for our nation’s small businesses.
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Small Businesses Make Progress Against Regulatory Burdens (08/19/2025)
As NFIB continues its fight to eliminate harmful regulations and overreach impacting small businesses, there have been significant developments in several recent legal cases. Learn more about the implications of these critical cases facing small businesses.
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Small Business Marketing
Expert Criticizes Email For Customer Communication, Says Texting Is Superior (04/19/2022)
In a USA Today (4/14, Deerwester) column, lawyer, speaker, and author Steve Strauss wrote that “email is actually a fairly horrible way for business generally, and small business, in particular, to communicate with customers. Unopened and unwanted, ignored and abandoned, emails simply don’t get through anymore.” Strauss went on to argue that texting is superior to emailing.
Marketing Challenges Facing Small Business Owners Highlighted (04/19/2022)
Startup. Info (4/15) highlighted marketing challenges small business owners find themselves confronted with as well as how to deal with said challenges. One of these challenges is content distribution, with Startup. Info saying that content distribution “entails the practice of spreading your content far and wide. But we must state that it’s also a very challenging aspect of marketing.” With regard to how to deal with this challenge, Startup. Info says, in part, “Have a detailed content calendar that shows when, where, and how you spread your content.”
Tips Offered For Small Business To Craft Effective Brand Experience (04/19/2022)
Small Business Trends (4/9, Pilon) provided “10 tips for creating an effective small business brand experience.” Among the areas small business owners should consider are creating an appealing logo, crafting a brand voice, and improving website design.
Commentary: QR Codes Can Help Business Owners “Bridge The Gap” Between Traditional, Digital Marketing (04/12/2022)
Michael Plummer, Jr., president of “premier New Mover Marketing franchise” Our Town America, wrote in Forbes (3/30, Plummer) that businesses should “bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing by learning how to use QR codes as part of your print marketing strategy.” Plummer wrote, “Using QR codes in your marketing materials can help your business connect with customers and drive traffic to your website,” as well as help build an email database to “stay in touch with your loyal customers” and boost customer feedback.
SBA’s National Small Business Week Set For May 1-7 (04/05/2022)
The Lower Bucks (NJ) Times (3/28) said the Small Business Administration’s “National Small Business Week: Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship is set for May 1-7.” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said the virtual event “celebrates the resiliency and tenacity of America’s entrepreneurs who are doing their part to power our nation’s historic economic comeback.”
Small Businesses Advised To Shift Social Media Strategy To Cope With Instagram Priority Change (04/05/2022)
Insider (3/28, York) reported that in late 2021, Instagram “announced a shift to prioritizing video-focused content over photo-focused content,” and “small businesses and creators [said] that the frequent updates and changes make it difficult to grow their accounts, especially those rooted in photo content.” Social media coach Kar Brulhart “add[ed] that Instagram’s algorithm is prioritizing video and reels to compete with YouTube and TikTok,” and advised entrepreneurs to “create stop-motion reels to showcase their products in various frames or film clips to compile into a montage.” Amanda Teo, a director of marketing at the sustainable-packaging company Noissue, “add[ed] that video content produced in-house shouldn’t feel overly produced,” and was quoted saying, “We’ve tested more-produced videos versus more-authentic videos, and the authentic videos that look like you just filmed it off your phone with minimal editing performed really well.”
Wages and Benefits
NFIB Jobs Report: Job Openings Slowing But Remain Solid (11/06/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 6, 2025) – NFIB’s October jobs report found that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in October, unchanged for the second consecutive month. Before August, the last time unfilled job openings hit 32% was in December 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (unchanged from September), and 11% have openings for unskilled labor (down 2 points).
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Labor Issues, Unemployment Insurance Impacts Small Business (10/20/2025)
Finding and retaining qualified workers in a tight labor market is a significant challenge millions of small businesses across the country face. Tyler Dever, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations, tackles the layers of labor disputes, unemployment insurance for striking workers, and how Congress can take action to foster growth for America’s small businesses in an opinion-editorial for The Center Square.
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E-Verify for Small Businesses: Tips and Tools for Verifying Employment Eligibility (09/09/2025)
E-Verify is a free, online system that lets employers electronically verify the employment eligibility of new hires and ensure compliance with federal immigration laws. It works alongside Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to confirm a person’s identity and employment authorization. By comparing information from Form I-9 with records from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), E-Verify helps ensure a legal workforce, protects American jobs, and prevents identity theft and fraud in hiring.
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Job openings were the highest in construction, manufacturing, and transportation (09/04/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 4, 2025) – NFIB’s August jobs report found that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in August, down 1 point from July. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32% was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (down 1 point), and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (up 1 point).
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Tips to Avoid Five Most Common HR Mistakes (08/04/2025)
Maintaining a happy and productive workplace requires structure and guidance. Many claims, lawsuits, and issues in business are avoidable with proper attentiveness. Watch this webinar featuring Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center to learn more.
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NFIB Jobs Report: Labor Shortages Continue to Constrain Small Business Job Growth (05/01/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 1, 2025) – NFIB’s April jobs report found that 34% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in April, down six points from March, the lowest since January 2021.
“Small business owners remained open to hire and grow their workforce in April,” said Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “While the percent of open positions decreased a bit, Main Street firms are still struggling to find qualified applicants for their plentiful open positions.”
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