A survey recently released from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices found that 91 percent of small business owners say inflation, supply chain issues and workforce challenges are having a negative impact on their business.

BUT the most significant challenge small businesses face, the survey revealed, was finding and retaining qualified employees (45 percent). Eighty-eight percent of small business owners said that hiring challenges have gotten worse or stayed the same since January 2022. Most owners (70 percent) are worried about employees leaving for larger companies, who may offer higher salaries and more generous benefits.

ADDITIONALLY, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of small business owners across all sectors said increasing energy costs are having negative impacts on their bottom lines. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents said the federal government should do more to tailor programs and services to better reflect the realities and needs of small businesses.

ABOUT four in 10 U.S. adults (42 percent) say that dealing with climate change should be a top priority for President Joe Biden and Congress to address this year, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted back in January. Findings also showed that people under age 30 are more likely than other Americans to view climate change as a top priority.

IN another Pew Research Center survey, three-quarters of respondents said that human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels, contributes to climate change at least some, with 46 percent saying it contributes a great deal. Sixty-nine percent of respondents are also in favor of the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050.