Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Shutdown Could Hurt Private Sector Jobs

BOSTON (CBS) - I keep waiting for someone to wake me up and tell me it's over.

Read: What's Open, What's Closed

But it looks like it could be a while before the full government is open for business. And that could be bad news for many more people in the private sector – not just federal workers.

Depends on how long the shutdown lasts.

The National Association of Government Contractors surveyed its members and found 29-percent of them plan to delay hiring. And more than half say the shutdown will have a negative impact on their businesses.

The chairman of the National Federal Contractors Association also tells USA Today that as many as 300,000 contract workers could be affected.

Another trade group, Associated General Contractors, says construction companies that build courthouses and renovate parks will also be hurt.

But it all comes down to timing. And indications suggest the shutdown could be a lot longer than some of us first thought.

That's because of two words: Debt Ceiling. We will hit it again sometime in mid-October and lawmakers need to agree on a way to raise it. And we know how well that went last time.

Word from Capitol Hill is that congressional leaders may not solve the government shutdown until they also deal with debt ceiling. And if they choose to do both at the same time this shutdown could last for several more weeks.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz