To mark the start of National Small Business Week, Google on Monday announced it will help uncover new ways for small businesses to leverage technology, something a panel of industry leaders explained was a lifeline at the height of the pandemic.
The week is designed celebrate the strength of small businesses while also working to find new ways to support them.
Google said it will partner with businesses in the Bay Area to help grow their business online and acquire in-demand skills at no cost. Those skills include utilizing an array of platforms like bookkeeping and marketing to help the business stay afloat.
During a panel discussion Monday, the nation's small business leader addressed the topic of returning to the workplace and acquiring new employees. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said while many aspects of life are returning to normal, small businesses are still struggling to hire the necessary staffing.
"Across the board, small businesses are still facing challenges, like the tight labor market, like inflation," Guzman said. "And the SBA is trying to make sure our resource partners can support them to connect to workforce trainings and resource development and use technology to connect with their workforce. So we still have to lean in and move forward to continue to help save small businesses."
Guzman said on the flip side of the issue, many small businesses have adapted to some of the changes presented by the pandemic, such as having remote workers because they simply didn’t have a choice. And that move, she said, has allowed some businesses to tap into some new markets.
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