SMEs: Encouraging small firms to recruit

More than half of all European businesses are one-person-enterprises (OPEs). One third of them do not recruit because of the non-wage labour costs, such as employers' social contributions and taxes. And more than ten percent shy away from employment because of the administrative burden that comes with it. These are the results of a Eurobarometer survey in 19 European countries conducted among 4,000 OPEs, which comprise self-employed people working alone or owners of businesses without regular staff. The survey was part of a Best project launched by DG Enterprise and Industry in 2003, recently concluded with a report from a group of national experts.