NEW YORK –  According to a recent survey by Newtek Business Services Inc., only 30% of business owners plan on hiring in the next three to six months. Additionally, 51% of business owners say their company hires employees who have just graduated from college.

A private company with a portfolio of over 100,000 business accounts, Newtek’s monthly SB Authority Market Sentiment Survey addresses the concerns of independent business owners through a poll of over 1,500 respondents.

"According to the Small Business Administration, about 70% of new job growth in the United States comes from small businesses,” said Barry Sloane, chairman, president and CEO of Netwek. “Our May survey depicts a lack of intention in our small business clientele to hire over the next two quarters … In order for the economy to recover, there need to be more workers in the total population that are earning a wage and who can be clients of small businesses. Once this begins, we anticipate the small business economy picking up."