International SME day on 27 June, recognises the contribution small to medium sized businesses make to New Zealand’s economic, cultural and commercial health.
New Zealand is a nation of small businesses and at Corporate Traveller, we’re proud to support our diverse Kiwi customer database with their business travel programmes.
SMEs makeup over 97% of enterprises in New Zealand and play a crucial role in the New Zealand economy, employing over 630,000 people representing 29% of the NZ workforce.
However, it’s not just in New Zealand where the SME market is so critical to the economic health of a nation. SMEs play a key role in national economies around the world.
The contribution of SMEs to the world’s economy is so important that come 27 June 2019, SMEs around the world will be formally recognised for their impact on local and global communities, as part of International SME Day.
The United Nations General Assembly voted to designate 27 June as a day to celebrate the global SME sector in 2017.
Kelly Thomas, General Manager of Corporate Traveller New Zealand, says she is proud to be working for a business that supports the needs of New Zealand SMEs.
“As a travel specialist in the SME sector, our team works with a range of small to medium organisations, so we truly understand their needs. Travel can be the second or third most controllable expense for an organisation and we can help them manage their travel, saving them time and money”.
“Travel is growing in the business sector. Face to face meetings, sales and client meetings that need to be done in different parts of New Zealand or overseas are all growth drivers and by supporting our SME clients to travel smartly, we are facilitating growth and development for SMEs.”
“If we can help SMEs find a more efficient way to book their travel with the help of an online booking tool, help them manage their cash flow better, keep their travellers happy with excellent service or make expense management and reconciliation a seamless experience - this is going to help foster success for our SME customers.”
Thomas says her team know how tough it is for small business owners and smaller teams trying to manage everything on their own.
“We know the kiwi business landscape and recognise that while the SME sector is often considered the backbone of the economy, it is a tough environment and SMEs at some stage need to outsource or implement new technologies to be more efficient.”
The business sector defined:
- Small businesses employ fewer than 20 people
- A medium-sized enterprise employs between 20 and 199 people
Snapshot of the New Zealand SME sector:
- 97% of all New Zealand businesses are SMEs
- 630,000 people in New Zealand are employed by SMEs representing 28% of the NZ workforce
- SMEs generate 28% of New Zealand’s GDP