Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1126231
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Private-sector employment decreased 0.4% during the 12-month period end- ing in February 2019. This was below the increase of 0.5% during the prior 12-month period. Maine is the fifth among the 25 small- est states for most small business star ts. Others in the top five are (in order) South Dakota, Vermont, Montana and North Dakota. Small businesses created 4,728 net new jobs in 2016. Firms employing fewer than 20 employees experienced the largest gains, adding 5,777 net new jobs. The largest losses were in firms employing 20 to 99 employees, which lost 872 net jobs. Firms with fewer than 100 employees have the largest share of small busi- ness employment in Maine. The num- ber of proprietors increased in 2017 by 1.6% relative to the previous year. M aine is a state where a large percentage of companies are defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration as small business, that is with fewer than 500 employees. Here's a smattering of other small-business facts published by the SBA's "Small Business Profile" for 2019. F O C U S S TA R T S O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E ยป M S O U R C E : www.fundera.com S O U R C E : U.S. Census Bureau S O U R C E : Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics S O U R C E : Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce S O U R C E : U.S. Census Bureau SMALL BUSINESS STARTUPS RANK SHARE OF THE PRIVATE WORKFORCE PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYMENT CHANGE FIRMS WITH FEWER THAN 100 EMPLOYEES JOB CREATION Maine small businesses employed 289,156 people, or 56.5% of the private workforce, in 2016, the most recent data available. 0.4% 1 South Dakota 2 Vermont 3 Montana 4 North Dakota 5 Maine 1.6% 56.5% + 4,728 Net new jobs in 2016