MNI DATA IMPACT: US Small Business Struggling to Find Workers

More than half of U.S. small businesses were hiring new workers in October, and about nine in 10 said for a second month that qualified applicants are scarce, the National Federation of Independent Business reported Thursday.

Some 55% of small businesses were hiring, down 1 percentage point from September, according to the group's survey. About 90% of small businesses that were hiring in October said there were few or no qualified applicants, similar to the previous month.

"The large increase in the number of unemployed has done little to help small businesses improve the quality of their applicants," NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said in a statement.

Approximately 30% of business owners reported openings for skilled workers, down 3 percentage points from September, and another 14% said they had available jobs for unskilled workers, down 2 points.

Finding qualified workers is weighing most on the construction industry, according to NFIB. Nearly 60% of construction firms reported few or no qualified applicants for their available jobs and 35% said finding qualified labor was their top business problem.