The Small Business Administration gave $61 million dollars in loans to Nebraska small businesses over the past six months.
SBA Nebraska Economic Development Specialist Michael Foutch says 45 percent of those loans went to new businesses. Foutch says he’s encouraged by that figure, because it indicates Nebraska’s economy is growing.
"From 2010 to 2011, self-employment in the state grew 7.9 percent. Veteran self-employment jumped by 7 percent over that same time. Small businesses really do play a big role in Nebraska’s economy. They’re almost 97 percent of all employers in the state."
Foutch says 51 percent of private sector jobs in Nebraska are in small businesses.
Nebraska’s unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in February, according to the Department of Labor.