Small Companies Shed Another 25,000 jobs (CNNMoney.com)

Small companies shed another 25,000 jobs in December, marking the 23rd consecutive month of cuts, according to a report released Wednesday by payroll-processing firm Automatic Data Processing.

The silver lining is that December's pink slip count was the lowest since July 2008 for small firms, those with 50 or fewer workers. In one sector, the job pool actually grew: Service-oriented small businesses hired a net 11,000 workers in December.