Surveys of small businesses show that they started stepping up their pace of hiring in spring. The surveys, by payroll provider ADP and software maker Intuit, count the number of new jobs at their small business customers. While there have been month-to-month fluctuations, the overall trend is up:
ADP Small Business National Employment Report
January: 51,000
February: 80,000
March: 77,000
April: 73,000
May: 98,000
June: 126,000
July: 84,000
Intuit Small Business Employment Index
January: 10,000
February: zero
March: zero
April: 25,000
May: 35,000
June: 20,000
July: 15,000
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.