Marketplace Small businesses pull back on hiring
14 snips
Dec 3, 2025 
Sabree Beneshore, an insightful Marketplace reporter, discusses the troubling trend of small businesses cutting back on hiring, with recent data revealing significant job losses. She highlights a mixed economic mood among owners who feel uncertain despite the data showing these staffing reductions. Additionally, the podcast delves into how buy now, pay later options are reshaping retail economics, and examines the evolving landscape of import prices and carbon emissions policies.
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Small Firms Are Pulling Back Despite Optimism
- Small businesses reported mixed confidence but actions show real pullback in hiring and hours.
- ADP and Homebase data reveal small firms (under 50) cut hundreds of thousands of jobs in November.
Matriarch Foods Uses Surplus To Lower Costs
- Anna Hammond runs Matriarch Foods with four employees and works mostly with U.S. surplus crops.
- She says costs are lower and she's considering hiring, though buyers are spending more carefully.
BNPL Helps Sales But Costs Retailers More
- Buy Now, Pay Later increases conversion and average order value but raises merchant fees.
- BNPL providers earn retailer fees and data revenue while absorbing consumer default risk.
