8141.0 - Small and Medium Enterprises, Business Growth and Performance Survey, Australia, 1996-97  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 11/09/1998   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All
  • About this Release
  • 1996-97 Business growth and performance survey results (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

September 11, 1998
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
92/1998

1996-97 Business growth and performance survey results

Businesses generally remained stable in terms of employment and income in 1996-97, according to survey results released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Fifty-nine per cent of businesses had static employment (ie within + or - 10 per cent of the previous year); 48 per cent of businesses had static income, defined the same way. These proportions were a little higher than the previous year, when 53 per cent of businesses had static employment and 42 per cent had static income. There were slightly fewer businesses which grew in terms of employment and income and slightly fewer which declined in terms of these variables in 1996-97 compared to 1995-96.

The survey also showed that when examining growth in both 1995-96 and 1996-97, five per cent of businesses increased their employment in both years and six per cent decreased their employment in both years. When examining growth in terms of income, however, 16 per cent of firms increased their income in both years while only four per cent decreased in both years. Medium and large firms (27 per cent and 35 per cent) increased their income in both years in larger proportions than micro businesses (13 per cent) and other small businesses (20 per cent).

The survey also provides measures of the gross and net job generation which has occurred. It was estimated that during 1996-97, 425,000 net new jobs were generated in Australia; the small business sector contributed 243,00 of these and medium sized businesses contributed 159,000. Between them they accounted for 94 per cent of the net job generation in 1996-97. Similar statistics for 1995-96 shows a similar result, 64 per cent coming from the small business sector and 29 per cent coming from the medium sized business sector.

The survey also measured the extent to which businesses used computers and the Internet. It showed that 62 per cent of businesses used computers and that one in three businesses had been using them for five or more years. While practically all medium and large businesses used computers, only 60 per cent of small businesses used them. Twenty-one per cent of firms have access to the Internet, including eighty-five per cent of large businesses. The Internet is used by business mainly for e-mail and for gathering information. Just one per cent use it for buying or selling.

These and other statistics are contained in Small and Medium Enterprises, Business Growth and Performance Survey 1996-97, (cat. no. 8141.0) available from ABS Bookshops