Reuters (01/07/15) Lucia Mutikani

U.S. small-business owners added an average of 0.2 employees per company in December, up from 0.05 the month before, according to a National Federation of Independent Business survey of 568 small-business owners. Eighteen percent added an average of 2.9 employees, and 9% reduced their workforces by an average of 3.0 workers. Fifty-four percent hired or tried to hire new workers, 43% were unable to fill positions due to a lack of qualified applicants, and 25% had job openings they could not fill.

“The December results clarify the economic picture for 2015, and what we’re seeing looks very promising,” NFIB said in a statement. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this kind of activity, but it looks like small-business owners are finally shaking off the effects of the recession.”