Small and medium-sized enterprises
12 Meán Fómhair 2022

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined by the European Commission as having less than 250 employees. SMEs are the backbone of Europe's economy. They represent 99% of all businesses in the EU.Read more
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined by the European Commission as having less than 250 employees. SMEs are the backbone of Europe's economy. They represent 99% of all businesses in the EU. In the past five years, they have created around 85% of new jobs and provided two-thirds of the total private sector employment in the EU. The European Commission considers SMEs and entrepreneurship as key to ensuring economic growth, innovation, job creation, and social integration in the EU. The European Commission policy in relation to SMEs supports start-ups and scale-ups in particular. Internationalisation beyond the EU increases SMEs' performance, enhances competitiveness, and reinforces sustainable growth.
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Recent updates
Business not as usual: How EU companies adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic
Tools of trade: Supporting export businesses to improve their workplace practices
EU context
TopEurofound’s work on small and medium-sized enterprises links in with the Commission’s 2019–2024 priority on promoting our European way of life.
- About Eurofound: EU priorities: Working for a strong social Europe
- European Commission: Promoting our European way of life
Key outputs over the years
Publications & data
TopThe sections below provide access to a range of publications, data and ongoing work on this topic.
- Publications (88)
- Ongoing work
Publications
Eurofound publications come in a variety of formats, including reports, policy briefs, blogs, articles and presentations.
Employment relations in micro and small enterprises - Literature review: France
Publication 20 Nollaig 2002Employment relations in micro and small enterprises - literature review: Bulgaria
Publication 20 Nollaig 2002Ongoing work
Research continues in this topic on a variety of themes, which are outlined below with links to forthcoming titles.