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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2011 Page 7 Study looks at the reasons small businesses are not thriving From page 6 prisingly, the single most im- portant indicator that would re- new small-business owner confidence in business condi- tions is increased sales in their businesses. This is a fact sup- ported by NFIB’s monthly Small-Business Optimism In- dex report, which has identified poor sales as the top business concern for small firms for 16 quarters running. Other notable survey find- ings include: • Uncertainty is a growth im- pediment impacting 61 percent of small employers; only 25 percent say uncertainty does not impact them. However, owners of the smallest firms and owners of the young firms were more likely to identify un- certainty as a concern than owners of larger small firms and more established firms. And while the majority of small employers who believe that un- certainty is a hurdle think of it as economic in nature (83 per- cent), a comparatively large number term their uncertainty as related to political questions. An extraordinary 51 percent who think uncertainty is an im- pediment to growth (38 percent of the small-employer popula- tion) blame the current political situation at least in part as ob- structing their growth. • While the adverse impact of regulation is often challeng- ing to identify, 40 percent of small employers say that regu- latory or legal issues are an im- pediment to growth. The com- plex labyrinth of regulations as opposed to a specific regula- tion or set of regulations was more often cited as an obsta- cle, with 63 percent of this group (31 percent of the popu- Electricians light new career paths for Oregon workers by Chris Thomas, Oregon News Service As Oregon’s unemployment rate inches lower, one factor might be the new crop of con- struction workers coming out of free training programs hosted by union electricians. The International Brother- hood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) offers two types of training in the Portland area, both aimed at those who might not otherwise have been ac- cepted into rigorous union ap- prentice programs. One is an intensive, five-day workshop to be material handlers on con- struction sites. Instructor Brid- get Quinn says it’s a good feel- ing to watch the students suc- ceed, “It’s really rewarding to work with somebody who’s got their eyes focused on some- thing that they want to achieve – somebody who’s motivated and really putting all of their ef- fort in, to achieve a way of life and a career, and benefits – something that’s really going to be valuable to them.” IBEW also partners with a social-service group called Constructing Hope to give women and members of minor- ity groups an in-depth look at the trades in a nine-week course. Board member Keith Edwards says people who have been released from prison also are welcome, “They’ve paid their debt to soci- ety, but they had a hard time coming out and trying to find employment. This is an avenue for them, to help them transi- tion into a workforce environ- ment, help them have confi- dence so that they can get a job and go back to work and be productive citizens.” The training also includes resumé writing and job-inter- view skills. The next Construct- ing Hope course starts in Feb- ruary and is free of charge. When Steven Steele of Port- land finished his material han- dlers’ course, he liked it so much he now volunteers in the Constructing Hope classes, helping students brush up on computer skills, “The class that I just was a part of, we were a very strong class. All of us were there every day – and we stayed in touch, and we even helped transport each other to and from the facility if we need- ed it.” In the five-day workshop, participants are certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary re- suscitation (CPR), operating forklifts and special Occupa- tional Safety and Health Ad- ministration (OSHA) safety training. The material-handler training is free, and the next sessions will be held in the spring. lation) reporting that a current investment or project was im- pacted by a regulatory matter. One-quarter of those who find regulations to be a burden ei- ther cancelled a project sched- uled for the next six months or abandoned investment and/or project plans. • Forty-one (41) percent re- ported the lack of finance as an impediment to growth and 19 percent ranked it a serious matter. Though 15 percent of small employers asserted that the lack of finance was their biggest obstacle to growth, 49 percent termed it a minor or no obstacle. More than half (53 percent) of small firm owners surveyed think that internally generated cash flows will be their most important source of financing desired investment over the next five years. Bank loans will be the second most common source. However, 33 percent of those identifying lack of finance as an impedi- ment to growth say that exist- ing financial obligations are “seriously constraining” their ability to finance desired busi- ness investment and another 44 percent say that it is con- straining. • With the unemployment rate near 10 percent, finding skilled workers is still a struggle for small-businesses. Sixty-one (61) percent of those surveyed (24 percent of the total popula- tion) said the lack of skilled em- ployees is an impediment to growth and indicated that they would hire at least one addi- tional employee at the current market wage rate in the next six months if they could find people with appropriate skills. Over 37 percent (9% of the population) would employ more than one. • Just 15 percent of small- business owners cite the lack of a strong management or ad- visory team as an impediment to growth. Of the group current- ly possessing a management team, 47 percent are highly confident their current team can provide the necessary as- sistance to reach the firm’s growth objectives in the next five years. Most citing this im- pediment want to add manage- ment employees rather than to change the ones they have. The latest NFIB Small Busi- ness Poll, Growth – External Impediments, is available at http://www.nfib.com/growth- study. November job numbers stable Columbia County’s season- ally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in No- vember essentially unchanged from the previous month (10.8%) but lower than the year before (12.0%). The rate was higher than the statewide rate (9.1%) and the national rate (8.6%). Total employment climbed by 118 to 22,476 and the number of unemployed people fell by 141 to 2,311. To- tal employment this November was 617 more than one year before and there were 569 few- er people unemployed this year.