A new survey by Citibank has found that small business owners in the U.S. have more confidence in their organization's ability to grow and add more workers with business management training and other professional staff this year.
The survey found that 26 percent of small business executives plan to increase their permanent full-time employees this year, which is a 12 point increase from the same time last year.
"The survey revealed an increase in hiring intentions from small business owners – the largest we've seen in two years," said Raj Seshadri, head of Small Business Banking at Citibank. "Whether it's confidence in consumer spending or planning for growth, our survey shows momentum for small businesses in 2012. The prospect that small businesses are stabilizing or expanding in 2012 is a positive step in the right direction."
Other key findings of the survey include increased long-term optimism in the small business sector, with 56 percent saying they expected their companies to be larger and more successful over the next five years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 2.5 million jobs were created in the U.S. by new business establishments in 2010.
