Hon John Banks
Minister for Small Business
19 August 2013 Media Statement
Small Business Employment Indicators Positive

Labour MP David Clark’s claim that small business are suffering under this Government is false and based on the selective use of data, Small Business Minister John Banks said today.

“The latest MYOB Business Monitor report shows the proportion of SMEs intending to maintain existing staff levels has risen from 66 per cent over the past two years to 72 per cent today,” Mr Banks said.

“This coupled with the eight per cent of SMEs wanting to take on new staff in the next year means that 80 per cent of our SMEs plan to maintain or increase current staff levels. That is up from just 77 per cent last year.

“Given that employment intentions are usually one of the last indicators to move in changed economic circumstances, this is good news.

“Indicators show that the Government’s focus on getting the fundamentals right is paying off.

“ANZ’s July 2013 Business Monitor report showed an increase in business confidence by 3 points, with a net 53 per cent of respondents expecting better times ahead. This is the highest level of confidence since April 1999.

“MYOB’s July 2013 Start-up report showed start-up businesses have enjoyed solid performance over the last 12 months with 53% of start-ups surveyed expecting revenue to increase.

“This illustrates that start-up business are doing well, business are growing in confidence and the vast majority of SMEs plan to maintain or increase staff numbers – a very different picture from the one David Clark is trying to paint,” Mr Banks said.

ENDS

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