By comparison, real GDP growth in the United States was 0.7% and private-sector employment declined by 0.7%. • The health care and social assistance industry was the state’s largest small business and overall employer in 2006 (Table 1). • Small businesses are a major force in the state's net job change, as shown in Table 2. • The number of small employers in Missouri was 121,350 in 2006, accounting for 97.8% of the state's employers and 49.7% of its privatesector employment. (Source: U.S. Dept.