Three out of four small businesses in New Jersey are worried they will see a return of restrictions that hinder their business due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, a recent survey by Alignable showed.
While 78% of those surveyed said they were “concerned” or “highly concerned” by the Delta variant, approximately two in three (65%) said government closures were their top concern.
The survey talked with 5,262 business owners nationwide from July 31-Aug. 8. It was featured in Alignable’s August Road to Recovery Report. The group broke out New Jersey statistics for ROI-NJ.
Businesses across the county have approximately the same concerns about the Delta variant, but the high fear of government restrictions was unique to New Jersey. While 65% of New Jersey small business owners said it’s their top worry right now — only 47% of business owners nationally felt that way.
Those fears were the same in a few key industries. A look:
- Retail: 84% in New Jersey vs. 50% nationally;
- Transportation: 75% to 66%;
- Gyms: 86% to 77%;
- Salons: 74% to 65%.
The only sector where fears of government restrictions was greater outside of the state was construction, as it a top concern for 65% nationally, but 63% in the state.
One thing is certain across the country: The pandemic is making it difficult to find workers. Some 61% of New Jersey businesses (and 59% of businesses nationally) report they are having a hard time filling jobs. This is a jump of 9 percentage points from July.
In addition, 72% of small business owners everywhere said they are more likely to hire someone who has been fully vaccinated compared with those who have yet to receive vaccines.
