Fifty per cent of small business owners in the US reported job openings in August, an all-time high, the National Alliance of Independent Enterprises (NFIB) said on Thursday.

The proportion of small businesses that do not hire enough workers is the highest since records began in 1986, up one percentage point from 49 per cent in July, according to NFIB. In addition, 41 per cent of small business owners said they had raised wages to attract workers, an all-time high.

"owners are raising wages to attract workers, and these costs are being passed on to consumers through rising prices of goods and services, creating inflationary pressures," Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist of NFIB, said in a statement. "

32 per cent of small businesses said they planned to add a record number of workers in the coming months, while the number of small businesses planning to raise wages was close to an all-time high.

Job skills remain a major problem for companies, with 91 per cent of companies hiring or trying to recruit say there are few or no qualified job seekers for vacant positions.