Hearing on Small Business Workforce Shortages
January 1, 2019
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The Frame
This hearing serves as a formal record of legislative inquiry into the labor shortage affecting small businesses, which impacts the ability of these firms to expand, renovate, and maintain operations in a tight labor market.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
Small business owners
They face challenges in finding and retaining qualified employees to fill job vacancies.
Unemployed individuals
They are the subject of legislative discussion regarding labor force participation and skills training.
Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.
Next step not available in the current record.
Summary
Key Facts
- The hearing was held on June 14, 2018, by the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access.
- The national unemployment rate was reported at 3.8 percent, an 18-year low.
- There are approximately 6.6 million job vacancies in the United States.
- 57 percent of small business owners surveyed by the National Federation of Independent Business were hiring or attempting to hire in the month prior to the hearing.
- 88 percent of small businesses attempting to hire reported few or no qualified applicants for their open positions.
- 7 million men are currently missing from the workforce, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
- The female labor force participation rate has declined by 6 percent since 2000.
- One in seven individuals aged 16 to 24 are neither in school nor employed.
Why It Matters
This hearing serves as a formal record of legislative inquiry into the labor shortage affecting small businesses, which impacts the ability of these firms to expand, renovate, and maintain operations in a tight labor market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'skills gap' mentioned in the hearing?
Why are small businesses struggling to hire?
News Coverage
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Focus on non-traditional labor pools
The committee explicitly shifted focus from standard unemployment metrics to the 'missing' workforce, specifically citing men and youth not in school or work.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance40How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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