Presentation by Stephen Roper at the Pink Shoe Event. 27th January 2020. Small business in the UK – recent trends and statistics

1. Small business in the UK – recent trends
and statistics
Stephen Roper
Enterprise Research Centre, Warwick Business School
Stephen.Roper@wbs.ac.uk
@steverop

2. Growth in the UK business stock
Businesses registered for VAT or
PAYE Sole proprietors and companies
… allowing for start-up and closure the number of businesses in the UK
rose 49k from 2018-19 to reach 2.72m – an increase of 1.8 per cent… (we
know nothing about who started these new firms!)
Source: ONS UK business; activity, size and location: 2019

3. Growth in business population by region –
2018-19 (%)
But growth has been very uneven … if growth in the West Midlands had matched
London it would have meant an additional 5,325 businesses in the West Midlands
……
Source: ONS UK business; activity, size and location: 2019

4. Total Entrepreneurial activity – GEM
measure
• Data on entrepreneurial
activity lags that of the
business population figures
• Total entrepreneurial activity
as captured in the GEM
survey fell slightly during
2018
• As in previous years levels of
entrepreneurial activity in the
UK remain above those in
France and Germany and
below that in the USA
Source: GEM UK Report (2018), published Oct 2019

5. Female early stage entrepreneurship –
GEM measure
• A broadly similar picture is
evident in terms of female
early stage
entrepreneurship
• One interesting aspect of
the data in the last year is
the sharp jump in female
entrepreneurship in France
and the US
• As yet it is not clear
whether this is volatility in
the data or evidence of a
real change in activity
levels
Source: GEM UK Report (2018), published Oct 2019

6. Flow and stock of businesses by
ownership
Early stage entrepreneurship Ownership of established businesses
… there are relatively more females (50:100) engaged in early stage
entrepreneurship than established businesses (44:100). A positive sign?...
Source: GEM UK Report (2018), published Oct 2019

7. FSB Business Confidence Index
… small business confidence hit an eight-year low in 2019 Q4 (measured
just before the election)….
• Growth in business
numbers and little
change in levels of
entrepreneurial
activity hide
something of a
crisis in confidence
• This may have
improved post-
election but as
trade talks start
uncertainty
remains…

8. New projects from the ERC
On-going projects (selected)
• How are SMEs responding to the
climate emergency?
• How important is local
competition in driving
productivity etc.
• Mental health and productivity in
Midlands firms (ME)
• R&D in creative industries (DCMS)
New projects for next quarter
• Innovation and productivity in
rural enterprises
• NIPF fellowship with Warwick
Manufacturing Group
• SME support evaluation partners
for JP Morgan Foundation
• Innovation readiness in
foundation industries

9. SOTA Reviews on Women’s Enterprise
(ERC/ISBE Gender and Enterprise Network)
Aim: To ask insightful questions about women’s experiences of enterprise,
and gender differences in entrepreneurship
Themes:
• Is Time Up for The Hero Male Entrepreneur? A Review of Enterprise Discourse and
its Effects
• Is Expanding Women’s Self-employment a Good Thing? A Review of Evidence
• A Review of Assumptions Underpinning Women’s Enterprise Policy Initiatives
• How Does Gender Shape Entrepreneurial Resources and Practices? A Review of
Evidence
• What Do We Know About Ethnic and Migrant Women Entrepreneurs? A Review of
Evidence
Seminar/workshop event in March – ‘Where next for Women’s
Enterprise Policy?’ – Date TBC.

10. Find out more at:
www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk
Or contact either Stephen.Roper@wbs.ac.uk or
Vicki.Belt@wbs.ac.uk