Tim Worstall

It is all obvious or trivial except…

 

 

Err, Jeff?

October 31st, 2007 · 2 Comments

Yes, I know that small business is important, but this much so?

Small businesses employ more than 10m people, nearly half the private-sector workforce, and contribute almost £1,000bn to the British economy.

The British economy is what, some £1,2 trillion? And we’re saying that 50% of the private sector workforce alone is providing 83% of that? Don’t think so, somehow. That’s the sort of number that should set journalistic alarm bells ringing, surely?

Share

Tags: Newspaper Watch

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Philip Hunt // Oct 31, 2007 at 3:02 pm

    Surely, Tim, you knew that 73.8 % of statistics on the Internet are made up?

  • 2 Bob B // Nov 1, 2007 at 1:20 am

    According to this official (and ? authoritative) source dated August 2006:

    “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) together accounted for more than half of the employment (58.7 per cent) and turnover (51.1 per cent) in the UK.”
    http://www.dtistats.net/smes/200612/SMEstats2005pr.pdf

    By definition, SMEs are counted as businesses employing up to 249 people. This source makes no reference to GDP.

Leave a Comment