SurePayroll, the online alternative inpayroll services, today announced July results for its monthly Small Business Scorecard, which recently expanded to include hiring and wage data for the top 35 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.

ForJuly 2011, both hiring and paycheck levels are down slightly from the previous month, resulting in YTD decreases of 2.4% and 0.3% respectively. In addition, optimism among small business owners decreased from 67% in June to 47% in July. As the first economic indicator created by a payroll company, the SurePayroll Scorecard has provided a monthly look at national hiring and wage trends sinceSeptember 2004.

SurePayroll President and CEOMichael Alter, a small business advocate who regularly analyzes small business economic data to provide insights into the small business economy, points to positive growth in cities such asOrlando,Greensboro, andSt. Louis. However, he says that overall, the recent figures illustrate that the economy is heading in the wrong direction.

"According to our data that shows 10 straight months of down to flat hiring numbers, we seem to have slid out of neutral and into reverse. And recent uncertainty over the debt ceiling has naturally caused more concern among small business owners, who halted decisions regarding investing in their growth until it was resolved," said Alter. "Now that gridlock has ended and we have an answer about which direction we're taking, maybe the economy's back-pedaling will be slowed. But small businesses should plan for driving in reverse, most likely longer than we'd all like."