It looks like small business employment numbers are moving in a positive direction in 2014. According to the Intuit Small Business Employment Index, small business employment rose by .04% in January, which means about 10,000 new jobs were created. The Index also reports that employment rose by .07% in December, with 15,000 new jobs being created. It is a unique index because it specifically tracks small business employment and defines a small business as those with less than 20 employees. The index shows that small business employment has risen slowly but steadily since October, which is a positive sign moving into 2014.
Unemployment numbers in Colorado have also shown improvement. Since rising to 7.1% in July of 2013, the unemployment rate in Colorado has continued to decline steadily. The unemployment rate was 6.2% in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Colorado continues to fair better than the national average, which was 6.7% in December. Overall, many financial forecasts are pointing to small to moderate economic growth in 2014, which is more good news for small businesses in Colorado.