A report out Tuesday morning south of the border shows small business hiring fell in April, but wages continued to rise for workers.
Human resources firm Paychex said its Small Business Jobs Index decreased 0.2% from March to 100.50, adding the pace of small business employment growth is down 0.3% from a year ago
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last month that non-farm payrolls grew less than expected, but average hourly earnings were up by 2.7% on an annualized basis.
Paychex said national hourly earnings for the month were $25.67, increasing 2.7%, or 68 cents, from last year. Weekly earnings were up 2.9% from last year.
Tennessee remains the top-ranked state in small business job growth, the report said. Dallas remains the country's new top metro area for small business jobs, following a 1.5% monthly decrease in Atlanta last month, which had held the top position.
The Paychex report comes three days before the bureau releases its closely-watched employment data for the U.S. for April.
