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Recent official figures show that the number of private sector businesses in the UK has increased to a record high of 4.8 million at the start of 2012, the overwhelming majority - 99.9 per cent - as small or medium-sized firms.
This is a significant increase on last year’s figures, which showed there were 4.5 million businesses in the UK at the start of 2011. However, some sceptics would atrribute the increase, at least in part, to redundancies and unemployment which have pushed more people into working for themselves as full-time employment opportunities dried up.
The statistics, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), also show:
- Of the 4.8 million private sector businesses, 99.9 per cent of them were small and medium sized enterprises
- SMEs also account for 59.2 per cent of private sector employment and 48.8 per cent of private sector turnover
- The 4.8 million private sector businesses employed an estimated 23.9 million people and had an estimated turnover of £3,100 billion.
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“We know that our entrepreneurs drive growth, so we will continue to do everything we can to help unleash and unlock entrepreneurs’ potential. The additional tax relief for angel investment, reforms to employment law, investment in business mentoring and further cuts in red tape are just some of the actions government is taking to create a better business environment.”
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Susie Hughes © Shout99 2012
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