SMEs, Age, and Jobs : A Review of the Literature, Metrics, and Evidence

Aga, Gemechu ; Francis, David C. ; Rodriguez Meza, Jorge

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: JOBS;    EMPLOYMENT;    JOB CREATION RATE;    MOTIVATION;    ECONOMIC GROWTH;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7493
RP-ID  :  WPS7493

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The subject of which firms are the keyemployers—and which of these create or destroy jobs at afaster rate—is eminently important for academics and policymakers. The relative importance of small versus large firmsand old versus young firms has in particular beenextensively debated and studied. Nevertheless, the resultsoften hinge on the questions that are asked. Moreover, thecategorical definitions used to define firm size and age,and the nature and coverage of the data used have importanteffects. This paper lays out the relevant definitions andmetrics that are central to the debate, reviewing the mainfindings to date on the subject (with particular emphasis onresults in developing economies). The paper adds updatedresults for 117 developing economies using the World Bank’sEnterprise Survey Data, finding that (i) small and mediumenterprises and older establishments are the dominantemployers in the nonagricultural private sector labor forcein developing economies, and (ii) net job creation isnegatively correlated with establishment age and, althoughthe effect of size is also negative, its significance issensitive to the definition and methods used.