U.S. businesses added jobs at a modest pace in February 2014, driven by significant employment gains in the construction, manufacturing and business services segments. Despite a slight overall decline in D&B's Small Business Health Index, the primary influence appears to the abnormal weather impacting large portions of the US. In addition, a rise in overall U.S. business health in February indicated a lower risk of business failure.
"Winter storms had an impact on small businesses and job growth in February, however, we remain optimistic on the U.S. economic recovery in 2014," said Paul Ballew, chief data and analytics officer, D&B. "As corporate balance sheets and overall financial heath strengthens, we anticipate a more compelling growth trajectory among businesses in the months ahead."
