Poll: Small business owners reticent to hire, doubtful about nation's economy

A recent poll conducted for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by Harris Interactive found that although the economy is gradually improving, small business owners remain uncertain about what the current year will bring.

Specifically, the latest installment of the quarterly Small Business Outlook Survey found that the vast majority of small business owners (85 percent) believe the country is on the wrong track with regard to the national economy. However, their attitudes about local economies were more positive, and optimism had risen 12 percentage points.

Although one-third (34 percent) believe the small business climate will improve over the next two years, nearly two out of three (63 percent) don't plan to hire this year, thanks in part to uncertainty about future government policies. The majority (78 percent) said taxation, regulation and legislation acted as obstacles to hiring, with nearly three-quarters (74 percent) reporting that the recent healthcare law was an additional barrier.

"Make no mistake: The economic winter is still here," warned Bill Dunkelberg of the National Federation of Independent Business in a recent statement. "Similar gains in the early part of 2011 quickly faded, and … there is still a lot of work to be done."