The current research report Focus on SMEs highlights the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the Austrian economy. It presents key SME indicators and was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism.
In 2023, about 579,500 SMEs were part of the market-oriented economy in Austria - this corresponds to 99.7% of all companies. They employed about 2.5 million people and trained 53,700 apprentices. SMEs generated a gross value added of €168 billion - about 56% of the total value of the market economy.
First estimates of the development for 2024 show a stable number of employees, but a slight decrease in real gross value added and a slight increase in the number of companies.
The economic situation in fiscal 2022/2023 shows a slight decrease in profitability, while the equity ratio increases.
The strengths of Austrian SMEs lie in internationalization, with a 40% share of SMEs in goods exports, sustainability, with 42% of SMEs offering environmentally friendly products, and good access to financing. Challenges include declining innovation performance, low venture capital financing and higher labor costs.
Austria wants to become carbon neutral by 2040, and SMEs have a key role to play. They are responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions, but also provide essential environmental solutions. A survey of more than 2,260 companies shows that SMEs have environmental expertise comparable to that of large companies and are highly motivated to contribute to climate neutrality. However, there is a lack of trust in climate policy, which is perceived as lacking credibility.
Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in recent years in shaping the political framework for the green transformation. In the further development of policy instruments, greater attention should be paid to the stability of framework conditions, the bundling of measures and the use of synergies, support at the inter-company level and the involvement of the SME sector.
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