Credit crunch, lack of spending will delay hiring
New payroll data indicate that the worst of the job-cutting is over at small businesses, but experts predict that the credit crunch and lackluster consumer spending will delay hiring. SurePayroll data indicate that employers are tapping more independent contractors to take up slack, the National Federation of Independent Business' latest optimism index remained below 90 and a Discover Financial Services survey indicated that consumer spending is the No. 1 concern of small-business owners. BusinessWeek (12/4)