As we all know, small business is driving British Columbia’s economy. Small business is big business in British Columbia.
But do you really realize how vital small business is for B.C’s economy?
As per Small Business BC, a remarkable 98% of all businesses in British Columbia are small businesses, providing employment for over 1 million people. That works out to 46% of all employment in British Columbia being generated by businesses with fewer than 50 employees or self-employed workers.
There are over 395,900 small businesses operating in British Columbia today.
They range from window washing and painting companies to corner stores,
restaurants and lumber mills, and from high-tech computer programmers and interior designers, to salmon fishers and landscape gardeners.
The number of small businesses operating in British Columbia grew 3% in 2009, a solid recovery from the dip recorded in 2008. The number of small businesses with employees saw an increase 0.7%. Overall, most of the growth in small business was attributable to a 4.8% surge in businesses operated by unincorporated self-employed individuals without paid help.
