1. Work Book: The Role of the Small Business Within the Economy

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise the majority of firms in most economies, and are predominately micro-enterprises with typically only one employee – the owner-manager. They contribute a substantial proportion of the workforce and have been viewed by many governments as a key source of new jobs. However, the majority of SMEs are non-employing and most that do employ are not interested in growth or the employment of additional people. Only a few, high growth Gazelle firms generate most of the net-new jobs in the economy. International data suggests that the ‘churning’ rate of job creation and destruction remains quite stable and relatively balanced over time, with the exception of economic crises such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007–2009.