Fastest growing occupations

When looking for labor projections, look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here are Fastest growing occupations, 2012 and projected 2022 and Occupations with the most job growth for the same time frame.

For state data, check ProjectionsCentral.com for Short Term Occupational Projections (to 2016) and Long Term Occupational Projections (to 2022).

Small Business Quarterly Bulletin

The Small Business Quarterly Bulletin [PDF] from Advocacy's Office of Economic Research is a brochure-style publication that contains commentary and analysis on the current employment and financing trends of small businesses.

Small Business Quarterly Bulletin

Advocacy's Small Business Quarterly Bulletin, a brochure-style publication that contains commentary and analysis on the current employment and financing trends of small businesses, shows a positive first quarter of 2011 for small business. Small business employment and financing were turning the corner and trending up, thus joining GDP, which has been growing for seven quarters.

Small Business Profiles for the States & Territories

Check out the latest stats coming out of the Office of Advocacy's state small business profiles. These profiles show details about each state's small business makeup as well as the entire country. Each state profile will show you stats on; business ownership, demographics, industry breakout of firms and employment, employment turnover and lending.

The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President 2009

The 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy documents the 2008 recession’s effects on small business as well as their role in the 2008 economy. The report includes chapters focusing on the state of small business (with brief subsections on small business challenges such as health care and globalization, as well as contributions in job creation and innovation) and financing. Appendices include additional data on small firms and a summary of Advocacy research published in 2008.

• Small businesses in most industries, especially in the construction industry hard hit by the housing market downturn, saw declines in employment.

• Average unincorporated self-employment fell from 10.4 million in 2007 to 0.1 million in 2008 and averaged 9.6 million by November and December 2008.

• Incorporated self-employment remained steady at 5.8 million on average over the 2007-2008 period.

• Some surveys found small firms expressing less willingness to expand, hire new workers, invest in new plant and equipment, or borrow money, at least in the near term.

• Health care costs remain a major concern for small firms: according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual cost of a family premium for employer-sponsored health insurance increased 119 percent between 1999 and 2008, with a 5 percent increase in 2008 from the previous year.

• Real exports have risen steadily since 2005, outpacing the growth in imports; the value of real exports increased 6.2 percent in 2008.

• Most small businesses faced a less accommodating credit market, especially in the second half of 2008.

• Lenders exhibited widening interest rate spreads and tightening terms of lending.

• Business borrowing plunged in the fourth quarter of 2008 to a low annual rate comparable to the levels experienced in the 2001 recession.

• According to June 2007-June 2008 Call Report data, developments in the financial markets had a limited impact on small business lending in the first half of 2008.

• Despite the lack of very current financial data, a number of indicators suggest that the flow of funds to small firms was much curtailed by the end of 2008.

A copy of The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President 2009 can be found here (PDF) and the research summary can be found here (PDF).

Estimating the Contribution of Immigrant Business Owners to the U.S. Economy

Using data from three large nationally representative government datasets — the 2000 Census 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), the 1996-2007 Current Population Survey (CPS), and the 1992 Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) — this study examines the contribution of immigrant businesses to the U.S. economy. According to Census 2000, immigrants constitute 12.2 percent of the total U.S. work force, and 12.5 percent of the total population of U.S. business owners. Business income generated by immigrant business owners totals $67 billion, representing 11.6 percent of U.S. business income.
Immigrant business ownership is geographically concentrated in a few states.

A copy of the report is located here (PDF) and the research summary can be found here (PDF).

Small Business Economic Trends

Monthly Small Business Economic Trends Analysis from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Rural and Urban Establishment Births and Deaths

Rural and Urban Establishment Births and Deaths Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Information Tracking Series presents an analysis of establishment birth and death rates by rural and urban counties. Surprisingly, the differences in the average rates of establishment births and deaths for urban and rural areas are extremely small. Therefore, the general dynamic of economic activities is not a function of rural versus urban conditions. Also, the underlying datasource of establishment births and deaths by county from 1990 to 2003 used in the paper is documented for future research use.

A full copy of this report is available here (PDF), and the research summary can be found here (PDF). If you need further information, please feel free to contact Brian Headd at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

Small Businesses Lead U.S. Growth

Report Documents Small Firms’ Significant Economic Impacts in 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Small businesses continued to lead growth in the U.S. economy in 2006, according to a report issued last week by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The report "shows that overall, small firms continue to drive a resilient U.S. economy," said Advocacy Chief Economist Chad Moutray. "In releasing this annual small business research report, we are pleased also to showcase new research by economists in the field of small business and entrepreneurship." Moutray released the report at a December 19 meeting of the Rotary Club of Washington, DC. The study, The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President for 2007(PDF) is the Office of Advocacy’s annual report on the state of small business in America.

The report reviews the economic environment for small businesses in the year 2006, including the financial and federal procurement marketplaces. New research focuses on minority- and veteran-owned businesses, social entrepreneurship, and pre-venture planning. Other chapters and appendices provide data on small business and an update on Office of Advocacy initiatives. The Office of Advocacy, the "small business watchdog" of the federal government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats, and it funds research into small business issues.

For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Office of Advocacy website. Print copies are also available upon request to the Office of Advocacy (202) 205-6933.

Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business

The SBA Office of Advocacy released the Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and
Small Business for the third quarter of 2007. Among the trends that are
observed, real gross domestic product grew 3.9 percent in the third
quarter of 2007, much faster than anticipated and comparable to second
quarter growth. Strong growth in exports (assisted by a weak dollar) and
solid gains in consumer spending helped fuel the rise in output.
Meanwhile, unemployment rose slightly, to 4.7 percent in September from
4.5 percent in June, but the expanding economy generated 282,000 more jobs
than it lost.

In September, the Federal Reserve lowered its federal funds target rate by
0.5 percent. Interest rates paid by small businesses and consumers moved
in tandem. Many observers contend that the move was necessitated by credit
concerns in the financial markets related to sub-prime lending. In
addition, overall inflation remained under control, with the consumer
price index rising an annualized 1 percent and producer prices falling 0.5
percent. Year-to-year inflation figures show a more substantial increase.
Consumer prices, for example, rose 2.8 percent from September 2006 to
September 2007. One culprit is higher energy prices. The price of a barrel
of West Texas crude oil rose $12.45 in the quarter, averaging just below
$80 a barrel in September.

Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business is located here.

Small Business Growth: Searching for Stylized Facts

"Small Business Growth: Searching for Stylized Facts" is an Office of Advocacy working paper by Brian Headd and Bruce Kirchhoff. The authors analyzed data from special tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB) database. The SUSB data provided information on how firms started, grew, merged, declined, survived, and closed from 1992 to 2002. The authors found that growing firms are generally a constant share of the economy with a minor business cycle effect, firms with employment growth outnumber firms with employment decline, and fast growing firms in a given year tend to revert to the mean in later years.

A full copy of this report is available here in a PDF, and the research summary can be found here (PDF). Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Brian Headd at (202)
205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.