With the U.S midway through the third quarter, many are anxious to see solid evidence of an economic comeback. Depending on the current news cycle, it can be difficult to determine if things are on an upswing, downswing or simply somewhere in between.
Job Search
In June, a report from Gartner said 44% of prospective job candidates received multiple job offers during their most recent hiring process. The Gartner survey included answers from almost 3,000 candidates. The 44% of job candidates who received multiple job offers in 2025 was down 51% in Q1 of 2024 and 72% in Q1 of 2023. Thirty-five percent of job candidates backed out after accepting a job offer in Q1 of 2025, compared with 48% in Q1 2024.
What hasn’t changed is that 53% of job candidates are citing higher compensation as the main reason for accepting a job offer. This is 11 points higher than in Q1 of 2024. Other considerations include career growth (47%), work-life balance (45%), better working conditions (39%) and opportunities to learn new skills (39%).
Employee Compensation
A June report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $47.92/hour in March 2025. This includes wages and salaries of an average of $32.92 and benefit costs of $15.00. Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $45.38/hour in March 2025. This was an average of $31.89 for wage and salary and accounted for 70.3% of employer costs. Benefit costs averaged $13.49/ hour worked.
Small Business
With the impact of tariffs top of mind, The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a portal for small businesses to identify U.S. domestic manufacturers and producers and end U.S. dependence on foreign suppliers. The tool is designed to enhance economic comeback in the U.S. with a searchable portal of three databases with more than 1 million U.S.-based manufacturers, producers and suppliers. The Administration proposed that use of the databases can shorten lead times, improve quality control and reduce exposure to overseas disruptions and tariff threats.
Onshoring Platforms
IndustryNet – 350,000+ U.S. suppliers of machinery, parts, services, supplies organized by category.
Thomasnet – find and compare 500,000+ trusted American suppliers by location and company size.
Connex Marketplace – connects U.S. manufacturers and suppliers into a searchable supply chain solution
SBA.
This article brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service employment agency serving the greater Kansas City Metro area and Johnson County in Kansas.