The Current Focus on Supporting Small Business: A European Perspective

摘要

The importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is attracting increased attention from policy makers, academic researchers and commentators around the world. The major reason for this scrutiny is the significant economic role played by SMEs in every country. A convenient way to describe this economic phenomenon is by way of a crude "9-8-7-6+" rule of thumb. This approximation suggests that, based on official statistics, 90 per cent of all enterprises in a country can be classified as a SME and 80 per cent of these will be in the service sector. In addition, employment in SMEs account for about 70% of the total workforce in the commercial sector and they produce about 60% of total output-capable of being defined in a number of ways. The "+" sign highlights the fact that the SME sector has expanded in recent years and its growth is expected to continue in the future. This paper looks at some current developments and issues relating to SMEs, mainly in Ireland and the EU. Some of these developments reflect the problems facing SMEs in Ireland but it is interesting to suggest that these problems faced SMEs wherever they are located.