Small businesses are feeling the strain of a tight labor market, according to results from a national survey released Wednesday. Nevertheless, small business owners’ optimism about the national economy is at an all-time high, according to the MetLife and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index.

Optimism on the health of the national economy has continuously increased since the second quarter and is at a new high, with 58 percent of small business owners believing the U.S. economy is in good health, according to the fourth-quarter report. Optimism on the local economy also improved this quarter: 56 percent of small business owners said their local economy is good, up 6 points from the third quarter.

Two-thirds of small business owners who are actively searching for new hires are having difficulty finding ones with the skills they need, according to the survey. Very few small business owners (9 percent) say the talent pool for potential recruits is “very good” with the majority (55 percent) saying it’s “fair” or “poor.” 

“There are too many people that lack the skills or credentials they need to compete for 21st century jobs and too many businesses that can’t find the workers they need, when and where they need them,” said Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “A lack of skilled workers is going to hold back economic growth for the entire country.”

A majority of small business owners — 81 percent — said they had to work longer hours or take on additional roles to compensate for their inability to find qualified candidates. 

Manufacturing businesses seem to be having a particularly difficult time finding qualified candidates compared to other industries. Seventy-eight percent of small manufacturers said it was hard or very hard to find candidates with the right skills, compared with 67 percent across all sectors.