Slow Hiring For Small Businesses in Down Economy

Just when things seemed to be looking up for the economy, a new report released Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business reveals small businesses across the country are struggling to break even. The report also says bleak prospects have forced many small businesses to hold off hiring new employees as they struggle to maintain their current work force. Small businesses employ about half of the American workforce, an important fact when you consider the potential chain reaction of this news: no new hiring means no new spending, no new spending could spell a longer, deeper recession. Joining us in a round-table discussion on their small businesses are Frank Goodnight, the president of Diversifed Graphics Inc. in Salisbury, N.C.; Doug Pettigrew, owner and operator Electronic Brain Solutions in Wyandotte, Mich.; and Marva Allen, owner of Hue Man Bookstore in Harlem, N.Y.