STA, 18 June 2019 - The annual summit of small business, hosted by the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) in Brdo pri Kranju on Tuesday, was marked by optimism but also calls that the demands of what is the backbone of the Slovenian economy need to be met.
Small businesses account for 98% of the Slovenian economy in terms of the number of companies and 54% in terms of the number of staff.
Micro and small companies, and sole traders generate 34.5% of all revenue and 22.5% of all Slovenia's exports. They contribute 40.8% to the total added value generated.
This is why Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said today's summit should be called the "summit of the core of the Slovenian economy".
"The number of staff increased by 30,000 last year compared to the year before, according to data by AJPES (the agency for public legal records). These companies generated 9% more revenue that the year before and their revenue on foreign markers jumped by 10% to almost EUR 40 billion.
"Net added value per employee has also been rising, going up by 2% to EUR 44,415 last year, and the average wage per employee also increased," Počivalšek noted.
He said productivity would be crucial for further growth, along with innovation and digitalisation.
The head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), Boštjan Gorjup, pointed to the standing demands of small businesses, noting the GZS would continue to strive for their realisation.
They include a call for a stable business environment free of red tape, no tax on annual bonuses and reforms of the public sector, and the health and education systems.
He also said that most small businesses still struggled with staff shortages.
Gorjup noted that some progress had already been made in terms of lower taxation of holiday allowances and performance bonuses, and cutting of red tape. According to him, business will respond to this with better business results.
