The National Federation of Independent Business said the net change in employment per firm slipped 0.23 last month after declining 0.05 in August.
"Uncertainty has cast a cloud over the future for owners, making it difficult to make commitments to new spending and hiring," the NFIB said in a statement.
The survey was released ahead of the government's more comprehensive payroll count on Friday. Nonfarm payrolls likely increased 113,000 in September, according to a Reuters poll, after rising 96,000 in August.
The unemployment rate is seen rising a 10th of a percentage point to at 8.2 percent. The NFIB survey showed a marginal decline in the share of employers reporting difficulties filling job openings last month.
