U.S. Small Business Employment Trends Hold Steady to Start 2026
Rochester, N.Y. (February 3, 2026) – According to the January Paychex Small Business Employment Watch, job and wage growth trends among U.S. small businesses remained consistent to start 2026. The Small Business Jobs Index — which reflects the payroll data of a subset of Paychex clients with fewer than 50 employees — increased 0.04 percentage points to 99.30 in January. Additionally, hourly earnings growth for workers has remained essentially unchanged since July 2025 at 2.68%.
Read the full news release on the Small Business Employment Watch site.
Tracy Volkmann
Tracy Volkmann began working at Paychex in July 2014 and currently manages public relations for the company. In this role, she is responsible leading the PR function, protecting the company's reputation, and driving positive earned media coverage for Paychex. Tracy is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and started her career in collegiate athletic communications, having spent seven years at West Point.