TELECOMS group O2 says small firms can fill the jobs gaps left by big corporations in the wake of the recession.
Its report, Not So Little Britain, claims the small firms sector will generate more than 200,000 jobs annually as they recruit skilled staff jettisoned by cost-cutting corporations.
It adds that 25% of small business recruitment is now from larger firms and 11% of small businesses plan to increase spending on training and up-skilling their workforce this year.
O2, which has a regional base at Preston Brook, Runcorn, also highlights the creative, green and health industries as areas where small firms are expected to have a competitive advantage over larger rival in the “new” economy.
Its also lists sectors where small firms accounted for much of the jobs creation in the last economic cycle, such as construction (82%), hotels and restaurants (93%), real estate activities (63%), computer and related activities (63%) and recreational, cultural or sporting activities (76%).
