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.

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.

According to a June 2021 survey of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, 55.1 percent of SMEs were manufacturing companies in the growth/expansion phase. By comparison, construction start-ups accounted for 1.2 percent of Australian SMEs in 2021.

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/

According to a survey from 2021, over 64 percent of surveyed small businesses in India profited significantly from investing in technology. In comparison, less than six percent of respondents in Australia saw signficant profit increases due to investment in technology in 2021.

Successful recipients of Department of Small Business and Training Small Business (DESBT) Grants Programs in 2021.

According to a June 2021 survey of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, 91.1 percent of SMEs reported allocating funds towards cashflow/working capital in 2021. By comparison, just 11.7 percent of Australian SMEs reported allocating funds for new premises or business expansion.

The City conducted the 2020 Business Needs Survey following the first lockdown initiated in response to Covid-19. The survey aimed to provide insight into the needs of small business operators to determine the best approach in supporting them to remain economically viable. The City conducted the 2021 Covid-19 Business Needs Survey 12 months after the first survey in 2020. The responses document how organisations, industry sectors and members were impacted by the pandemic immediately before the 2021 four-month lockdown.

The City conducted the 2020 Business Needs Survey following the first lockdown initiated in response to Covid-19. The survey aimed to provide insight into the needs of small business operators to determine the best approach in supporting them to remain economically viable. The City conducted the 2021 Covid-19 Business Needs Survey 12 months after the first survey in 2020. The responses document how organisations, industry sectors and members were impacted by the pandemic immediately before the 2021 four-month lockdown.

Service providers ranging from business support to specialized stores in crypto hardware were the most likely places to accept cryptocurrency in Australia in 2021. This according to information from an open-source website that tracks especially small companies on whether they have cryptocurrency solutions available to them. Note that clear figures on day-to-day payments with Bitcoin, Ethereum or Ripple are difficult to establish: This is partly due to the nature of cryptocurrencies themselves but also due to the small nature of the companies that might offer these options. In the case of Australia, it seems cryptocurrency solutions are mostly found in shops that offer cryptocurrency exchanges themselves already, an observation that is somewhat different from the global business types that offer crypto solutions.

Annual Queensland language services policy reporting by Department of Employment, Small Business and Training Additional information reported in lieu of inclusion in the annual report. Read the complete annual report.

Bankruptcies in Australia increased to 1308 Companies in May from 1225 Companies in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Australia Bankruptcies - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Australia increased to 2 points in May from -1 points in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Australia Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This dataset presents data on the numbers and status of employment by industries for the Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) regions as of August 2018. The boundaries for this dataset …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents data on the numbers and status of employment by industries for the Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) regions as of August 2018. The boundaries for this dataset follow the 2011 edition of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business publishes a range of labour market data on its Labour Market Information Portal. 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. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. Data Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, four quarter average. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Department of Jobs and Small Businesses, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/16/2021. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

According to a May 2021 survey of consumers in the United States and Australia, 71 percent of respondents indicated phone calls as their currently most used channel to communicate with a small business. E-mail followed, with 48 percent of respondents reporting they usually use this channel. Text messages and messaging apps were the least used communication channels consumers turned to when in need of reaching a business, with 28 percent and eight percent of respondents indicating these as their preferred methods.

This dataset presents the employment summary for the labour market data for the Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4) regions as of August 2018. The boundaries for this dataset follow the 2011 edition of …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents the employment summary for the labour market data for the Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4) regions as of August 2018. The boundaries for this dataset follow the 2011 edition of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The Australian Government Department of Jobs and Small Business publishes a range of labour market data on its Labour Market Information Portal. 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. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. Data Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, four quarter average. The working age population defined in this dataset refers to people aged 15-64/ Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Department of Jobs and Small Businesses, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/16/2021. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

This dataset contains payment amounts for first and second applications and the items that were reimbursed through the Small Business Hardship Scheme that operated during 2021-2022 as part of ACT Government COVID-19 response.

Public Safety Business Agency performance reporting on the Queensland Government On-Time Payment policy.

Note:

On 7 September 2020, the Queensland Government announced its intention to integrate the PSBA functions and staff into the public safety agencies of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), as part of a wider strategy to structurally reform government statutory bodies and agencies and increase further efficiencies in the delivery of quality outcomes to Queensland communities.

On 27 May 2021, the Queensland Parliament passed the Debt Reduction and Savings Bill which repealed the Public Safety Business Agency Act 2014, resulting in the PSBA being abolished from 1 July 2021.

The disestablishment of the PSBA and the corresponding functional transition into the QPS and QFES, as per the Administrative Arrangements Order (No. 2) 2021 (AAO), was completed by 30 June 2021.

Due to the disestablishment of the PSBA, all Open Data records within the Queensland Open Data Portal relating to the PSBA have been migrated to QPS.

For enquires or further information about the PSBA, please contact the QPS or QFES using the comments section or the contact us page.

This dataset presents aggregated values of Own Unincorporated Business Income as a category of the estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas ABS release. The data spans over the financial years …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents aggregated values of Own Unincorporated Business Income as a category of the estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas ABS release. The data spans over the financial years of 2010-11 to 2014-15 and is aggregated to the 2016 Local Government Area (LGA) boundaries. This release presents regional data on the number of income earners, amounts they receive, and the distribution of income for the 2010-11 to 2014-15 financial years. An improved geocoding process has been introduced for this release. As such, previously released estimates for the 2010-11 and 2012-13 financial year have been superseded. The following personal income categories are provided in this census release: Employee Income Own Unincorporated Business Income Investment Income Superannuation Income Other Income (Income not allocatable to any other categories) Total Income (Sum of previous categories) These statistics provide insights into the nature of regional economies and the economic well-being of the people who live there. The data has been sourced from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and is presented with the updated 2016 editions of the Australian Statistical Geography Standards (ASGS): Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2); Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3); Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4); Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) and Local Government Area (LGA). For more information on the release please visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Please note: When interpreting these results, it should be noted that some low income earners, for example those receiving Government pensions and allowances, or those who earned below the tax free threshold, may not be present in the data, as they may not be required to lodge personal tax forms. Other individuals may not lodge a tax return even if required, therefore care should be taken in interpreting the data as well as comparing the data in this publication with other income data produced by the ABS. To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, a confidentialisation process called perturbation has been applied to the data. Perturbation involves small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. Where data is not available or not for publication, the record has been set to a null value. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2017): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/16/2021. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia (CC BY 2.5 AU)

According to a survey conducted in December 2024, 50 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Australia expected to be able to meet their loan repayments over the next 6 months as of December 2024. 12 percent thought they would not be able to meet their loan repayments over the next 6 months.