The TriNet SMBeat employment index rose 1.1% in January to 182 from 180 in December. The index is up 12% compared to January 2014.

The hiring rate index edged down to 68 from 69 in December, while the termination rate index slipped to 54 from 56.

“The January SMBeat Employment Index indicates that employment levels are 82% higher than in January 2005, the index month for our analysis,” said Jason Langhoff, TriNet’s executive director of corporate development. “Small and medium-sized businesses today are growing faster than they were prior to the Great Recession. Involuntary terminations are on the decline which translates to improving job security for current employees. The ongoing trend of strong hiring rates suggests that employers may face an increasingly competitive job market for filling open positions.”

The information sector posted the highest employment index value of 598 in January, up 2.2% from December. The retail trade and professional and business services sectors also performed well in January, increasing 1.4% to 150 and 281, respectively. The leisure and hospitality industry saw no change from the previous month with the index remaining at 77.

Pennsylvania and New York had very strong gains in January, with employment index values of 361 and 342, respectively. Oklahoma had the slowest growth rate this month, with an index value of 88.

The San Francisco Bay area and the Washington D.C. metro areas both had employment index values over 500, at 510 and 509, respectively. The Oklahoma City area grew at the slowest rate in January with an index value of 63.

TriNet is the fourth-largest professional employer organization in the US. Its new employment index analyzes the company's 10,000-plus clients, which include small and medium-sized businesses, and approximately 273,000 worksite employees.