Thanks to a greater demand for their services, small businesses are hiring at a faster rate than big companies. Previously, small businesses lagged during part of the economic recovery.
The construction market is a hot area, according to the people at the 35-year-old business, European Paving. CEO Robyn Cerutti says they have hired an outside recruiter to help with hiring and the company now offers free lunches to its workers.
In 2015 through October, Moody's Analytics reports that firms with fewer than 50 employees increased hiring by 2.3 percent compared to 1.6 percent at firms with 500 or more employees.
The Labor Department says large firms are dealing with slowdowns in China and elsewhere. Smaller firms, by contrast, tend to be more dependent on consumer spending, which rose by 3.2 percent in the third quarter of 2015.
According to TSheets.com, which maintains online time sheets for smaller businesses, the average number of employees on customer payrolls started growing in 2014. This year their small firm customers increased employment by 3.5 percent.