Latest round of Paycheck Protection Funding was exhausted three days ahead of schedule, reports Nation’s Restaurant News. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration officially announced that the third round of the Paycheck Protection Program had closed to new applicants on Friday, May 28, three days ahead of its scheduled expiration date, after funds ran out.

Small businesses are having a hard time filling open positions, reports Reuters. 

Nearly half of U.S. small business owners reported unfilled job openings in May, marking the fourth consecutive month of record-high readings as finding qualified applicants remains a lingering challenge, a trade group said on Thursday.

Small businesses that survived the pandemic now need help managing debt acquired during the pandemic, reports the Advertiser-Tribune. 

After more than a year of navigating lockdowns, mandates and COVID-19 protocols, small-business owners are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But the debt many needed to take on to weather the pandemic still casts an ominous shadow.