As if their business worries weren’t enough, small business owners are now getting even less time off, thanks to the country’s continuing economic problems.

Most small business owners (61%), those with five employees or less, work at least six days a week. That includes 24% who work seven days a week, compared to 18% in 2008 and 15% in 2007.

According to the latest Discover Small Business Watch data, just eight percent (8%) of all workers put in a seven-day week. Another 14% are on the job six days a week. While the small business owners are working more these days, the figures for all workers are largely unchanged over the last two years.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of small business owners work at least 10 hours per day.

And up several points from the previous two years are the number who say they work on every holiday (29%) or most of them (28%).
After gains in April, economic confidence is down among small business owners in May, back to March levels.

The Rasmussen Investor Index made a substantial gain for the second day in a row on Tuesday and is up 22 points from the first reading of this year.

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Just 29% percent of small business owners say they have had a week-long vacation within the last year. This compares with roughly 40% for the previous two years.

Equally telling is how small business owners describe a day off from work. For just 27%, it means not working at all, down from 37% a year ago. Among all Americans, twice as many (54%) say a day off means not working at all.

Roughly unchanged from last year is the 37% of small business owners who say a day off means they are not actively working but are available for calls and e-mails. This compares to 21% of all Americans.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of small business owners say they had seven or fewer days off from work in the past year, with 24% saying they worked every single day in the last 12 months, up five points from 2008.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all Americans say economic conditions are forcing them to cut back on their summer vacation spending.

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About the Small Business Watch

The Discover Small Business Watch is a monthly index measuring the relative economic confidence of U.S. small business owners who employ less than five employees, a segment that consists of 22 million businesses producing more than a trillion dollars in annual receipts. The Watch is based on a national random survey of 1,000 small business owners. It is commissioned by the Discover Business Card, which strives to offer the best business credit card for American small businesses, and is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, LLC (www.rasmussenreports.com), an independent survey research firm. The numeric index is calculated by assigning values to responses to a set of six consistent questions. The base value of the Watch was established at 100.0 based on surveys conducted in August of 2006. In addition to generating the index, the Small Business Watch surveys small business viewpoints on key business drivers, and also surveys 4,000 consumers to gauge purchasing behavior and attitudes towards small businesses. For past results and small business survey data, visit www.discovercard.com/business/watch. For information on Discover Business Card, visit www.discovercard.com/business.