U.S. businesses added jobs at a modest pace in February 2014, driven by significant employment gains in the construction, manufacturing and business services segments. Despite a slight overall decline in D&B's Small Business Health Index, the primary influence appears to the abnormal weather impacting large portions of the US. In addition, a rise in overall U.S. business health in February indicated a lower risk of business failure.

"Winter storms had an impact on small businesses and job growth in February, however, we remain optimistic on the U.S. economic recovery in 2014," said Paul Ballew, chief data and analytics officer, D&B. "As corporate balance sheets and overall financial heath strengthens, we anticipate a more compelling growth trajectory among businesses in the months ahead."

Source: D&B