Indicators are showing that there is a surge in small business hiring under way, with the hiring pace showing its first signs of a steady pickup this spring. In fact, small business owners who have resisted hiring following the recession are finally beginning to take on new workers in order to keep up with rising business demands for products and services.

An American Express survey conducted in March found that greater revenue generation was indeed the trigger for hiring practices, with 76 percent of small business owners reporting that they were planning to hire only when their revenue rose. According to economist Susan Woodward, another driver of increase hiring is the steady growth recently seen in both construction and consumer spending.

Here are some recent examples of small business hiring success stories.

  • Liliana Aranda’s 4-year-old spa treatment company Faces By Liliana has unexpectedly boomed, prompting her to hire three part-time employees. While her business has done well and been steady since its inception, revenue is up 20 percent so far this year.
  • Faulkner Hyundai located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, recently added 7 additional people to its staff of 92. The dealership reported that this hiring trend was encouraged by a major increase in sales, with new cars selling at their fastest rate in eight years.
  • Entrepreneur Brad Barrett (inventor and producer of the backyard grill accessory product Grill Grate) has been seeing a significant increase in orders recently, prompting him to expand his seven-year-old company from six employees to eight. Based on forecasting, Barrett expected 40 percent revenue growth for 2014; however, sales are already up 55 percent compared to last year.
  • Following a strong recovery in South Florida’s real estate market, the public relations firm Schwartz Media Strategies has begun to step up its hiring. In fact, owner Tadd Schwartz has expanded his hiring pace from one or two employees in each of the past six years to three full time employees and two interns within the past three months. Schwartz Media’s hiring trend in in line with its revenue growth, which is up around 16 percent so far this year. According to Schwartz, if this trend continues and he continues to add major accounts, he will begin to recruit again.
  • An increase in consumer spending and the decision of Microsoft Corporation to end support for its Windows XP operating system (forcing computer owners to upgrade) has positively impacted Marcus Networking, a computer company that replaces XP systems. In fact, the company has recently been able to hire four new people in line with the 29 percent revenue surge it has seen so far in 2014.

Reference:

Rosenberg, Joyce M. “Small Businesses See Revenue Gains, Hire Workers.” NBCNews.com. 7/30/14.