Sageworks Blog

Nov01

GDP, private-company trends among economy's mixed signals Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Nov 01, 2012 17:03

In the last general report card on the economy before the Nov. 6 election, the recent GDP data was consistent with some of the mixed signals affecting privately held companies. Data from Sageworks Inc., a financial information company, shows that private companies on average have seen about 7 percent growth in sales from last year. [More]

Aug07

The 'Dog Days' for jobs Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Aug 07, 2012 10:53

Friday’s jobs report for July was neither decidedly sunny nor gloomy, even though stocks on Wall Street rallied to three-month highs. U.S. employers added a net 163,000 jobs in July, topping forecasts, but the unemployment rate and the number of total unemployed were essentially flat to June levels, indicating hiring is still experiencing its own version of the “Dog Days” of summer. “Even though the number of jobs added was more than expected, the unemployment rate at 8.3 percent is still too high,” said Sageworks CEO Brian Hamilton. [More]

Jul09

(Temporary) Help wanted, apparently - SageworksStats on Forbes.com Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jul 09, 2012 14:10

June unemployment in the U.S. was flat, and nearly a third of jobs added were in the temporary-help services industry, a field that has shown strong growth over the last 12 months, according to data from Sageworks Inc. “During the last 12 months, privately held employment service firms have seen their revenues grow by almost 20 percent annually, which far outpaces the average annual growth of around 10 percent for private companies across all industries,” said Sageworks analyst Libby Bierman. “That sales growth validates what the employment numbers released this morning showed—the economy has recently been adding a lot of temporary jobs, which are positions that employment service firms routinely fill.” [More]

Jun05

Why aren’t companies hiring? Sageworks Stats @ Forbes.com Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jun 05, 2012 09:27

The U.S. economy’s paltry addition of 69,000 jobs in May has intensified the political finger-pointing, but the truth is that no one really knows for sure why the economy is growing yet too few jobs are being created, said Sageworks CEO Brian Hamilton. “The jobs report is disappointing because, at this stage of the recovery, the economy should be generating more jobs,” said Hamilton, who is also co-founder of the financial information company. The sluggish job growth is a paradox, he said, “because privately held companies, which actually produce the vast majority of new jobs, are performing quite well.” [More]

May04

April unemployment ticks down to 8.1 percent Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

May 04, 2012 15:42

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped in April to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent in March, but fewer-than-expected jobs were added. “The unemployment rate is not materially changing, which is disappointing since privately held companies continue to grow their sales and are generally the engine of job growth,” said Brian Hamilton, CEO of financial information company Sageworks Inc. [More]

Apr 06, 2012 09:39

Sageworks found that private companies are seeing healthy sales growth, around 8 percent annually with net profit margins remaining over or close to 6 percent for the last 12 months as unemployment rate ticks downward. [More]

Mar20

Positive economic signs, but confidence lags Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Mar 20, 2012 14:18

Private companies are seeing margins and profits that are higher than they were before the recession, as Sageworks data has shown. But Americans – both consumers and businesses – haven’t yet bought into the recovery in a wholehearted way. Why not? [More]

Mar 09, 2012 12:15

According to data released today by Sageworks, privately held companies in the United States saw average sales growth of over 8.5 percent in the 3 month period ending February 29, 2012. That’s up from an average sales growth rate of just under 8 percent in 2011, a growth rate of less than 5 percent in 2010, and a decline of over 5 percent in 2009. [More]

Feb07

Jobs report tracks with private-company trends Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Feb 07, 2012 17:11

January's jobs report on Friday showed widespread employment growth in the private sector, a trend that's consistent with improved revenue and profit trends that Sageworks Inc. has seen among private companies over the past 18 months. [More]

Nov22

3Q GDP revised downward; Small employers name growth impediments Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Nov 22, 2011 15:01

The U.S. economy grew a bit more slowly in the third quarter than previously estimated as businesses cut inventories, which could mean they’ll boost production next year if consumer spending stays on track. Meanwhile, a new survey of small employers found that uncertainty and lack of market demand are the major impediments to growth, pointing to a continuation of the slow decline in unemployment. [More]