Number of companies increased in Finland in 2008
Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig The share of female entrepreneurs in increasing in Finland, Rita Nurminen keeps her shoe boutique in the center of Helsinki.According to the Entrepreneurship Report of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy there were approximately 262,000 companies operating in Finland at the end of 2008, excluding primary production sectors. The number had increased by 3,6 per cent since the previous year. The number of companies in Finland has increased steadily since 1995.
Small and medium companies constituted about 99.7 per cent of all the companies. Up to 93 per cent of these employed less than 10 people, majority of which employed less than 2 people. The number of companies started in 2008 was slightly smaller than in the previous year, while the number of companies that were closed down was clearly higher than that of 2007. Despite this the netto increase of companies was nearly 7,400 companies.
The number of entrepreneurs in 2008 was approximately 240,000. The age structure is higher than that of paid employees. Female entrepreneurs constituted about one third of all entrepreneurs. Female entrepreneurs are on average younger and more educated than male entrepreneurs. About 70 per cent of female run businesses employ only the entrepreneur herself.
The purpose of the Entrepreneurship Report is to create a general picture of companies and entrepreneurs in Finland. In addition to presenting basic information on the companies and entrepreneurs the report has a changing theme each year. This year's report's special themes were growth entrepreneurship, women's entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship in creative fields and wellness entrepreneurship.
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