Neil Lim
It’s Small Business month and it’s a great time to be a small business here in British Columbia. The 2014 Small Business Profile has just been released and details the importance of small businesses here in British Columbia.
The 2014 Small Business Profile is divided into three main sections:
- Small Business Growth
- Small Business Employment
- Profile of the Self-Employed in British Columbia
- Contribution to the Economy
- Small Business Exporters
What Can You Expect to See in the Small Business Profile?
The report contains interesting stats about the contribution of small businesses in BC and their contributions to the economy. Some of the interesting stats included in the report are:
- 98% of all businesses in BC are small business – 81% of which are micro-businesses (fewer than 5 employees).
- British Columbia leads Canada in small business per capita with 83.4 small businesses for every 1,000 people, well above the national average of 70.1 to 1,000.
- Small businesses in BC contributed 31% of the province’s GDP in 2013 (national average was 29%). Small businesses were also responsible for exporting goods valued at $14.4 billion, which accounts for almost half of BC’s total exports.
- Small businesses that cater to the real estate lead the province in growth. At the end of 2013, there were 3,196 new small businesses in the real estate industry.
Interested in learning more?
You can view the complete profile by visiting: www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/pdf/SmallBusEngWeb.pdf