Local small businesses may hire workers, give raises

Globe Staff

Many local small and mid-size businesses are optimistic enough about business conditions that they may be willing to consider hiring new workers or giving existing employees raises.

Massachusetts employers may have shed 2,100 jobs last month as state officials said today that the Bay State unemployment rate held steady at 8.2 percent, but many small and mid-sized businesses in the region are optimistic as they look forward to the coming year.

That's one finding of a new survey issued by Insight Performance Inc. and Smaller Business Association of New England, a private not-for-profit association of about 800 member companies located throughout the six-state region.

According to the Small Business and Human Resources 2011 Outlook Survey, 93 percent of small and mid-sized businesses plan to retain staff levels and add new hires while only 5 percent anticipate the possibility of layoffs this year. The survey also said that 38 percent of companies plan to offer base-pay raises.

“The survey shows that small and mid-sized businesses see the business climate turning around,” Nancy R. Mobley, founder and chief executive of Insight Performance, said in a statement.

Many economists have expected the state economy to slow, in part because of the still struggling US economy, then pick up steam later in the year.

Count local small and mid-sized businesses as among those who expect better times ahead.

According to their survey, optimism for business conditions increased to 80 percent for 2011.