Five paths to job creation | The Business Journal

According to the Small Business Administration, more than half of all private sector workers are employed by small businesses with less than 500 employees. Yet, much of the federal government's recovery efforts have been aimed at the giants of the financial industry and other governmental agencies. Small businesses have been left in the cold.

Recognizing that no economic recovery is possible without small businesses creating jobs, the National Federation of Independent Business has released its Top 5 recommendations for spurring job growth (Read it here.) Its recommendations in a nutshell:

1. Find a way to restore consumer confidence.

2. Businesses must not abandon goals, but also establish priorities as cost unknowns (health care reform, climate change legislation, etc.) loom on the horizon.

3. Cut payroll taxes, allow startup firms full tax write-offs and maybe even institute a general jobs credit.

4. Improve the capital lending environment, especially when it benefits the real estate market, as many small business owners are themselves hamstrung by under-water mortgages and other financial instruments using real estate as collateral.

5. Require federal personnel to eliminate needless expenses and other unproductive impediments to small business growth.

Tags: NFIB | small business | jobs | economy