US Small Business Employment Contracts in February 2026
Key Facts
- •Small businesses with 1-9 employees saw a decrease in hiring, losing approximately 45,300 jobs in February 2026.
- •The leisure and hospitality sector and the Southeast region led the employment declines.
- •Total small business employment reached 12,626,500 following a 0.36% monthly decline.
Employment levels at micro-businesses in the United States experienced a notable contraction during February 2026. Data from Intuit QuickBooks reveals that businesses with 1 to 9 employees shed approximately 45,300 jobs over the month. This 0.36% monthly decline brought the total small business workforce to 12,626,500 employees. The downturn was primarily driven by weakness in the leisure and hospitality sector, alongside regional cooling in the Southeast United States. While these figures are secondary to official government payroll reports, they signal a softening in the labor market's foundation. Investors are monitoring these trends for potential impacts on small-cap equities, such as the IWM ETF, and broader currency market sentiment.
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