Small Business News You Can Use (5/1)

Small business hiring slowed considerably in the April and employees saw a reduction in their hours, an independent survey showed on Monday, adding to signs of weakening in labor market conditions. SurePayroll Inc., the leader in providing online payroll to small businesses nationwide, today announced April results for its monthly SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard(R) showing small business owners' optimism at 65 percent, despite a slight drop in hiring and size of average paychecks. Optimism remains well off its low of 33 percent in September of last year. Americans increased their spending more slowly in March, suggesting some could be worried about the economy. The U.S. economy will grow faster than expected this year, despite the headwinds of higher gas prices and Europe's financial crisis, according to USA TODAY's quarterly survey of economists.