Small business benchmarks are a guide to help you compare your business's performance against similar businesses in the same industry.

For more info see: https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Small-business-benchmarks/

This statistic displays the share of small businesses who have a website in Australia from 2011 to 2018, by business size. In 2018, 86 percent of small businesses with ten to 19 employees had their own website in Australia.

Small Business Sentiment in Australia increased to -8 points in the first quarter of 2025 from -12 points in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Australia Small Business Sentiment - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In Australia, according to a survey conducted in December 2024, ** percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) planned to streamline their business operations to deal with the challenges posed by ongoing inflation and increasing costs in 2024. Only **** percent of SMEs planned to implement workforce reductions to recover costs.

In Australia, according to a monthly survey conducted with key decision makers within small and medium businesses, 58 percent of these businesses made a profit in December 2024. This is up six percent from the previous month of November 2024.

Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: Western Australia data was reported at 4.100 AUD mn in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.700 AUD mn for Feb 2020. Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: Western Australia data is updated monthly, averaging 5.900 AUD mn from Jul 2019 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.100 AUD mn in Jul 2019 and a record low of 3.700 AUD mn in Jan 2020. Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: Western Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.KB012: Lending Indicators: Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Collection: Business Finance.

According to a June 2021 survey of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, 56.3 percent of SMEs were in the growth/expansion phase with an annual revenue of 10 to 50 million Australian dollars. By comparison, start-ups with annual revenues between one and ten million Australian dollars accounted for 6.2 percent of Australian SMEs in 2021.

Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: General Business Purposes data was reported at 321.100 AUD mn in Mar 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 293.800 AUD mn for Feb 2020. Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: General Business Purposes data is updated monthly, averaging 395.100 AUD mn from Jul 2019 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,018.800 AUD mn in Jul 2019 and a record low of 286.900 AUD mn in Jan 2020. Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: General Business Purposes data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.KB012: Lending Indicators: Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Collection: Business Finance.

According to a survey conducted in December 2024, 38 percent of respondents in Australia expected to concentrate on growing their business over the next 12 months. 14 percent of those surveyed said they would concentrate on exiting or downsizing their business over the next 12 months.

The Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business publishes a range of labour market data on its Labour Market Information Portal website (lmip.gov.au). The link below provides data …Show full descriptionThe Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business publishes a range of labour market data on its Labour Market Information Portal website (lmip.gov.au). The link below provides data from the Labour Force Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The boundaries used in this survey are known as Statistical Area 4 regions. The data provided includes unemployment rate, employment rate, participation rate, youth unemployment rate, unemployment duration, population by age group and employment by industry and occupation.

This dataset is an output of a desk audit by Monash University Researcher, Tui McKeown, working with Ken Phillips, executive director of Independent Contractors Australia (ICA), which funded the project. Self-employed people make up 20% of the workforce and are internally recognised as a powerful entrepreneurial and consumer force. However, what is “known” about them is mostly based on assumptions rather than facts. The aims of the project were twofold. The first was to clearly identify and summarise the key features of three of the largest databases and research resources available within Australia for profiling this complex sector. The second is to see what synthesis can be achieved between these three sources as resources and so develop a deeper understanding of this sector. Source data included the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2008 Forms of Employment Survey and the 2009 Australian Labour Market report; four reports by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) into the micro business sector; and from Roy Morgan Research, a 2009 report into the self employed in Australia and the Roy Morgan Research Asteroid database which collected information between January 1999 and December 2008. All data is published in the full report (A desk audit into the data and research on micro-business profiling in Australia) that is available on the ICA website. It provides grounded and accurate information for policy frameworks and will assist those who need to communicate with self-employed people, as well as future PhD students and researchers.

Abstract

The Future of Business Survey is a new source of information on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Launched in February 2016, the monthly survey - a partnership between Facebook, OECD, and The World Bank - provides a timely pulse on the economic environment in which businesses operate and who those businesses are to help inform decision-making at all levels and to deliver insights that can help businesses grow. The Future of Business Survey provides a perspective from newer and long-standing digitalized businesses and provides a unique window into a new mobilized economy.

Policymakers, researchers and businesses share a common interest in the environment in which SMEs operate, as well their outlook on the future, not least because young and innovative SMEs in particular are often an important source of considerable economic and employment growth. Better insights and timely information about SMEs improve our understanding of economic trends, and can provide new insights that can further stimulate and help these businesses grow.

To help provide these insights, Facebook, OECD and The World Bank have collaborated to develop a monthly survey that attempts to improve our understanding of SMEs in a timely and forward-looking manner. The three organizations share a desire to create new ways to hear from businesses and help them succeed in the emerging digitally-connected economy. The shared goal is to help policymakers, researchers, and businesses better understand business sentiment, and to leverage a digital platform to provide a unique source of information to complement existing indicators.

With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Geographic coverage

When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. The Future of Business Survey is now conducted in over 90 countries in every region of the world.

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized enterprises.

Universe

The target population consists of SMEs that have an active Facebook business Page and include both newer and longer-standing businesses, spanning across a variety of sectors. With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Twice a year in over 97 countries, the Facebook Survey Team sends the Future of Business to admins and owners of Facebook-designated small business pages. When we share data from this survey, we anonymize responses to all survey questions and only share country-level data publicly. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population, we also weight our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the Future of Business Survey each month.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

The survey includes questions about perceptions of current and future economic activity, challenges, business characteristics and strategy. Custom modules include questions related to regulation, access to finance, digital payments, and digital skills. The full questionnaire is available for download.

The questionnaire was pretested by the target audience, as well as experts from the area of research interest. Additionally, steps were taken to translate the survey in order to reduce sensitivities to cultural response bias: - Respondents were given the option to respond to the survey in any of fifteen languages native to the countries in which it was conducted. - Translations were done only by native speakers, with two rounds of additional online checks in the context of the survey environment. - Translators were provided with context material for this survey (e.g., the Facebook for Business website) in order to understand the context of the survey. They were also instructed to take the English survey at least two times before starting with the translations. - Translations were discussed in a group in order to ensure a common understanding of questions and items. - The tone (formal vs. informal) of the survey was based on cultural conventions, e.g., Facebook usually uses an informal tone, while in cultures such as the Japanese this is very uncommon and thus a formal tone was used there.

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMEs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy:

Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.

Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don't represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: South Australia data was reported at 7.400 AUD mn in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.800 AUD mn for Feb 2020. Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: South Australia data is updated monthly, averaging 7.400 AUD mn from Jul 2019 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.900 AUD mn in Oct 2019 and a record low of 2.500 AUD mn in Jan 2020. Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Construction: South Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.KB012: Lending Indicators: Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Collection: Business Finance.

In a survey conducted in January 2020 about social media usage of small and medium-sized businesses in Australia, about 90 percent stated they used Facebook. Facebook was the most used social media platform by small and medium-sized businesses across all industries in Australia.

Abstract

To gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook and partners collaborate to collect and share timely information with the broader community. The State of Small Business (SoSB) Survey surveys SMBs, employees, and consumers from approximately 30 countries across the globe. This combination of survey respondents allows us to evaluate how the impacts on SMBs, their employees, and their clients have developed throughout 2021.

Geographic coverage

Argentina Australia Belgium Brazil Canada Colombia Egypt France Germany Ghana India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Kenya Mexico Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Poland Portugal Russian Federation (the) South Africa Spain Taiwan Turkey United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America (the) Vietnam

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized business owners, their employees and consumers.

Universe

The survey uses a random sample of SMB leaders with Facebook Page administrator privileges and of the general population of Facebook users. Therefore, the sample covered in the survey is representative of SMB leaders surveyable through Facebook at the country level.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The survey reaches a random sample of SMB leaders with Facebook Page administrator privileges and of the general population of Facebook users. A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the survey. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population on Facebook, Facebook also weights our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

Questions cover a range of topics depending on the survey wave such as business characteristics, challenges, financials and strategy in addition to custom modules related to regulation, access to finance, digital technologies, reduction in revenues, business closures, reduction of employees and challenges/needs of the business

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population on Facebook, Facebookwe also weights our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMBs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy: Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of Page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don’t represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

The Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business publishes a range of labour market data on its Labour Market Information Portal website (lmip.gov.au).

The link below provides data for the employment projections by industry, occupation, skill level and region for the following five year period. Produced by the Department of Employment, these employment projections are designed to provide a guide to the future direction of the labour market, however, like all such exercises, they are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty.

A report on the prevalence, nature and impact of unpaid work experience in Australia (December 2016). This report is provided by Department of Jobs and Small Business (previously Department of Employment).

Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Purchase of Property data was reported at 572.100 AUD mn in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 708.600 AUD mn for Feb 2020. Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Purchase of Property data is updated monthly, averaging 660.000 AUD mn from Jul 2019 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 738.800 AUD mn in Dec 2019 and a record low of 572.100 AUD mn in Mar 2020. Australia Businesses: Business Finance: Small Businesses: New Loan Commitments: Fixed Term Loans: Purchase of Property data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.KB012: Lending Indicators: Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Collection: Business Finance.

Employment Services is the Australian Government’s way of helping get more Australians into work. Job Services Australia was the employment services model between 1 July 2009- 30 June 2015. These datasets are the aggregated Job Services Australia youth caseload (job seekers aged 15-24) for labour market regions across Australia, broken down by various demographics including stream classification. The caseload datasets contain information on the number of people being assisted by Job Services Australia for each month of the programme.

The outcomes datasets contain information on the number of job seekers who remained in employment for particular milestones (13 weeks or 26 weeks) and who were placed into a job.

Further descriptions of employment services and the variable descriptions are available in the attached documentation below. This dataset is provided by the Department of Jobs and Small Business.

In a survey conducted in Australia in December 2024, 29 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) expected that their revenue would be better in four weeks compared to today. 22 percent of respondents said in December 2023 that they expected to have worse revenue in four weeks' time.