Soaring fuel and energy costs rank second only to the cost of health care among the problems facing small business owners, a new survey by the National Federation of Independent Business shows.
Survey: Fuel costs hurting small businesses
Soaring fuel and energy costs rank second only to the cost of health care among the problems facing small business owners, a new survey by the National Federation of Independent Business shows.
More than 42 percent of the small business owners nationwide rank the cost of natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil as a “critical†concern, the NFIB’s Small Business Problems and Priorities survey results indicate.
That’s up from 26 percent on the previous survey, conducted in 2004.
Both surveys ranked the cost of health insurance as the No. 1 issue facing small business owners.
NFIB represents small businesses in a wide range of industries, and many are being hurt by higher fuel prices.
Other findings from the survey include:
The Problems and Priorities series has been published roughly every four years since its inception in 1982, NFIB said.
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