Small and micro businesses generated €11.9 trillion in turnover in the European Union in 2022, representing close to a third (31%) of the EU’s total turnover of €38.3 billion.
In addition, small businesses (defined as those with up to 49 people), accounted for close to half of all employed persons in Europe, as well as comprising the majority (99%) of all of the 32.2 million enterprises that populate the bloc.
Medium-sized enterprises, meanwhile, boasting between 50 and 249 employees, employed 15% of the EU’s workforce and accounted for 18% of the overall turnover (despite comprising just 0.8% of the total enterprises in the EU), while large enterprises (those with more than 249 employees, employed more than a third (37%) of the EU’s labour force and produced more than half (51%) of the turnover.
Large businesses account for just 0.2% of the total number of enterprises in the European Union, the data showed.
Business sectors
As regards the business sectors that contribute the most to the overall turnover of the EU, the industrial sector leads the way, generating over one-third (€13.6 trillion or 35%) of the total.
The industrial sector employed 33.4 million people, about 21% of the business labour force, despite being the smallest sector in terms of actual enterprise numbers (8% of the total, or 2.4 million enterprises).
The trade sector, with 5.8 million enterprises making up 18% of the total, employed 29.8 million individuals and generated 29% of the turnover (€11.2 trillion), while the construction sector comprised 12% of all enterprises, but only accounted for 6% (€2.1 trillion) of the turnover, employing 13.8 million people.
Average expenses per employee
The study also examined average expenses per employee in the European Union, and found that the financial and insurance sector had the highest average expenses per employee (€77,500), followed by electricity and gas supply (€68,100) and information and communication (€67,530).
The manufacturing sector’s average expenses were €48,090, slightly above the economy-wide average of €41,340. In contrast, accommodation and food services had the lowest average expenses (€20,630).
In addition, a trend of higher employee benefits expenses was seen in larger enterprises, with companies employing 250 or more persons spending substantially more per employee (€59,460) than smaller enterprises with 0 to 9 employees (€28,510). Read more here.
