What is the Small Business Roundtable?
The Small Business Roundtable was established in 2005 with a mandate to provide small business with a voice in government by:
- Engaging in a dialogue with small business to identify key issues and opportunities.
- Developing recommendations to government and to small business owners on strategies to enhance the small business climate in B.C.
- Championing small business interests in the province.
The Roundtable is chaired by the Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, and has 22 Board members selected for their leadership in the small business community. Information on Board members is provided on the Small Business Roundtable website at www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca.
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Who we represent2
- 98 per cent, approximately 384,300, of all businesses in British Columbia are small businesses.
- Roughly 82 per cent of small businesses were micro-businesses with fewer than five employees.
- Small businesses provide nearly 56 per cent of all private-sector jobs in British Columbia.
- British Columbia small businesses shipped approximately $11.9 billion worth of merchandise to international destinations in 2007, representing just over 38 per cent of the total value of goods exported from the province
- Women make up 34 percent of self-employed people in British Columbia, the fourth-highest rate in the country.
Breakdown of businesses in B.C., 2008
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# of businesses |
% of total |
| Total Small Businesses |
384,300 |
98% |
| Self-employed without paid help† |
216,300 |
55% |
| Businesses with less than 50 employees |
168,000 |
43% |
| † |
Incorporated self-employed are not included in this figure to avoid double-counting, since they are already included in the count of businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
Source: BC Stats, using data supplied by Statistics Canada | |