Tight U.S. Job Market Squeezes Smallest Businesses the Most

Job growth at the nation's smallest businesses has fallen to the lowest levels in almost eight years as such employers struggle to attract and retain workers in the tightest U.S. job market in 50 years, reports the Wall Street Journal . The number of men and women employed by companies with less than 20 workers increased by less than 1 percent in both March and last month versus the same months a year earlier, reports Moody's Analytics. Hiring at the smallest companies hasn't been this low since May 2011, when the U.S. economy was still recovering from the economic meltdown. Around 17 percent of private-sector workers — almost 21 million Americans — work at businesses with fewer than 20 employees, the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show. "Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, added that growth at firms with 20 to 49 employees has also slowed since the job market began tightening in 2016's fourth quarter.