PRINCETON, NJ — More U.S. small-business owners report letting employees go than hiring them on average over the past year, for a net hiring index of -12 in April, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey. This is on par with -10 in January and -9 in April 2012.

Trend: Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index: Net Hiring, Past 12 Months

These results are from the quarterly Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business survey, conducted April 1-5, 2013, with a random sample of 603 small-business owners.

Small-business owners’ self-reported net hiring has remained at a similar level since January 2011, but is up from the low of -27 recorded in January 2010.

The 11% of small-business owners who reported a net jobs increase at their companies over the past 12 months is similar to the percentage who reported this in January and last April; the same is true for the 23% reporting a decrease in the number of job positions.

Trend: Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index: Hiring, Past 12 Months

Owners’ Hiring Intentions Flat in April

U.S. small-business owners’ net hiring intentions were at +6 in April, as the percentage of owners who expect to add net new jobs is slightly more than the percentage who plan to […]