Making the most of the 99%

摘要

As the UK's economic recovery starts to gather pace, prospects for the UK's cities look sunnier than they have for some time. Yet the Centre for Cities' latest report, Business Outlook 2013, supported by Zurich, (modelled on our annual Cities Outlook) shows starkly how important it is that cities -especially those with the weakest economies - support their small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) if economic recovery is to be sustainable. SMEs make up at least 99 percent of businesses in UK cities and this is growing; between 2005 and 2012, the number of city-based SMEs increased by 37%, compared to a 14% increase in the number of large firms. Yet SMEs in different cities vary enormously in their ability to generate jobs and value.