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Detroit Regional Chamber > Small Business > Small Business Outlook: Cautious Optimism Continues

Small Business Outlook: Cautious Optimism Continues

February 9, 2026

Feb. 2026 Small Business Data

Summary: Percentages of small employers hiring and planning to hire continued trending downward and giving existing employees raises continued trending upward.

  • 31% of small businesses reported jobs they could not fill in January (2 points lower than December) and unfilled job openings remain above the historical average of 24%.
  • 25% of small businesses have job openings for skilled workers (down 3 points from December) and 10% have openings for unskilled workers (unchanged from December).
  • 16% of small businesses plan on creating new jobs in the next 3-months (1 point down from December).
  • 32% of small businesses raised compensation in January (1 point higher than December) and 22% plan on raising compensation in the next 3-months (2 points lower than December).

Learn more about this data from the NFIB January Jobs Report, published on Feb. 5, 2026.

Now hiring sign

50% of small businesses hired or tried to hire in January.

Summary: Inflation destroyed small businesses’ profitability forecasts in 2025.

  • 30% of small business owners report their profitability was above expectations in 2025 and 78% of small business owners are optimistic about their profitability forecast in 2026.
  • 42% of small business owners plan on increasing efficiency and productivity in 2026 through technology including AI-enabled automated workflows.
  • 37% of small business owners plan on launching new products and/or services in 2026 to remain profitable while dealing with high inflation.

Learn more about this data from the Bluevine 2026 Business Owner Success Survey Report, published on Feb. 5, 2026.

money evaporating

80% of small business owners report that inflation was a consistent challenge in 2025.

Summary: Consumer spending held steady to start the New Year.

  • Month-over-month sales at small businesses decreased slightly in January after December’s slight rebound (-0.5% change) and year-over-year sales at small businesses continued to go up (+0.7% change) compared to January 2025.

Learn more about this data from Fiserv December Small Business Index, published Feb. 3, 2026.

employer

From January 1995 to December 2024, small businesses accounted for 61% of net new job creation in the United States.

Summary: New businesses are on the rise and small businesses continue to be America’s economic engine.

  • There are more than 36 million small businesses in the United States.
  • Small business is defined generally in the United States as firms with fewer than 500 employees.
  • Over 82% of small businesses are nonemployer firms and over 17% are employer firms.
  • According to the most recent data available, over 67% of new employer firms survive at least 2-years and over 49% survive for 5-years.  Two thirds of businesses that reach the 5-year mark last 10-years or more.

Learn more about this data from U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy FAQ 2026, published on Feb. 3, 2026.