Orange County Register

California small businesses have cut wages an average 2% this year and staffing 1.9%, according to SurePayroll, an online payroll service that does a monthly look at business owners’ outlook on the economy.

In addition to national data, based on its clients’ actual payrolls, SurePayroll takes a closer look at certain states, including California, that influence the nation:

“While we may be seeing a recovery on Wall Street, Main Street continues to struggle,” said SurePayroll President Michael Alter. “Though the stock market is rising and the pace of job loss is easing, small-business optimism continues to decline.

In the survey, optimism levels in September dropped to 60% — an 11 percentage point decline from optimism levels in August. Small-business wages also continue to decline, down 6.5% year to date.

“At the root of these figures are tight credit restrictions and concerns over the cost burden small businesses may have to shoulder to support the proposed health-care legislation,” Alter said.

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