Small businesses have gotten a surge of optimism, one that may lead to more hiring in the coming months.

That’s
the finding of a survey of 1,100 small and medium-size business owners
and executives released Wednesday by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.
The survey taken in January and February finds that 37 percent of owners
are optimistic about their companies’ prospects for the next six
months, up sharply from 22 percent in a survey last fall. That has
fueled companies’ hiring plans. Twenty-two percent plan to hire
full-time workers, compared to 16 percent in in the fall.
And
their workers will likely get a raise. Nearly a third of the owners and
executives surveyed plan to boost employees’ pay, up from 22 percent who
planned raises in the fall.
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