America’s Labor Crisis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Small businesses continue to be weighed down by a shrinking labor force, unrelenting wage pressures and the unavoidable price hikes. These factors leave business owners with no choice but to pass increased costs onto customers.

New research conducted by Ramsey Solutions’ EntreLeadership team finds a perfect storm of factors affecting the way small businesses do business in 2023.

Key findings of The 2023 Small-Business Labor Crisis Report include:

• 11.3 million small-business owners struggle to find employees who can do the work they need.
• 23% of small-business owners say they’ve had to cut business hours due to worker shortages.
• 51% of small-business owners have recently raised prices to help offset increasing wages.
• Six in 10 small-business owners say they feel alone in solving problems and making decisions in their business.

“We are smack-dab in the middle of a labor crisis in America,” said Ramsey Solutions’ CEO Dave Ramsey. “But you’re not powerless if you own a business. In EntreLeadership, we challenge you to step up and raise your level of excellence. Now is the time to create a culture that loves its team, takes care of its team, coaches and corrects its team. Being a boss isn’t going to cut it anymore. You must become a world-class leader because that’s who people want to follow.”

Despite the challenges outlined in the research study, the survey also finds nearly 70% of small-business owners refuse to entertain thoughts of giving up — and another 17% only sometimes think about quitting. That’s 87% of small-business owners embracing the demands, aggravations and sometimes full-on pain of building their businesses with a can-do, will-do attitude.

To view the full report, visit: ramseysolutions.com/business/small-business-labor-crisis.

About EntreLeadership

The EntreLeadership team at Ramsey Solutions serves thousands of business leaders every year through their podcast, world-class live events, digital products and business coaching. With a vision to see America’s small businesses thrive, EntreLeadership equips owners to lead their teams, grow their businesses and create world-class cultures. For more information, visit entreleadership.com.

About the Survey

Small-Business Owners in America is a research study conducted by Ramsey Solutions to gain an understanding of behaviors, attitudes and opinions of U.S. small-business owners. The nationwide study with 1,004 small-business owners was fielded from April 5th through April 11th, 2023, using a third-party research panel.

Media Contact:

Curt Harding

Senior Publicist

615-614-4432