Why Small Businesses Are Good for Local Economies小企業為何有利于地方經濟

When we check business news each day， it’s usually big companies that dominate the headlines. We see layoffs by Tesla， a contract won by Lockheed Martin， a company acquired by General Motors， or a new innovation from General Electric. It’s true that large businesses are seeing their market share increase in a wide range of industries in recent years. However， despite the relative absence of small businesses from the headlines， they drive a considerable portion of the American economy.

每天瀏覽商業新聞時，通常都是大企業的相關報道占據著各大頭條。我們在新聞上可看到特斯拉裁員、洛克希德·馬丁贏下大合同、通用汽車收購某公司或者通用電氣發布一項創新產品。的確，近年來，在多個不同行業，大公司的市場份額都有所增長。然而，即便相對而言小公司出現在頭條新聞中的次數不多，但他們依然在美國經濟中占據著不可忽視的一部分。

Small businesses’ economic impact

小企業對經濟的影響

Small businesses are an important economic engine for both local communities and the national economy.

小企業是驅動本地社區和國家經濟發展的重要引擎。

A widely cited 2019 report from the U.S. Small Business Administration found that small businesses generated 44% of all economic activity in the country. That same year， small businesses created two-thirds of all jobs in the U.S. In a post-pandemic world， small businesses have been the backbone of economic recovery and job growth.

美國小企業管理局2019年發布的一份報告被廣泛引用，該報告顯示，整個美國44%的經濟活動來自小企業。同年，小企業為美國創造了2/3的就業崗位。在后疫情時代，小企業成為了經濟復蘇和就業增長的重要支柱。

“Small， locally owned businesses and startups tend to generate higher incomes for people in a community than big， nonlocal firms， which can actually depress local economies，” said Stephan Goetz， professor of agricultural and regional economics at Penn State and director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development， in a statement published alongside the research.

與報告共同發表的還有一份聲明，該聲明由賓夕法尼亞州立大學農業和區域經濟學教授、東北地區農業發展中心主任斯蒂芬·戈茨撰寫，他提到：“相比于大型非本地企業來說，小型的本地企業和初創公司通常會給當地人提供更高的收入——前者反而往往會抑制本地經濟發展。”

Goetz said his research shows that small businesses directly benefit local economies—much more so than large businesses. This is because big box and large corporations have internal systems for services such as accounting， legal， supply and maintenance that are not necessarily based within the county or state. Small businesses， on the other hand， have to outsource these functions and usually do so to professionals within their local or regional communities—professionals who are likely to spend that money in the same community.

戈茨說，他的研究成果顯示，與大企業相比，小企業為本地經濟帶來的直接好處要大得多。原因在于，大型連鎖零售商和大企業有內部職能系統，比如會計部、法務部、采購部和維修部等，而這些業務通常并不設在本縣或本州。小企業則不得不將這些職能外包給當地或本區域的專業人士，而這些專業人士通常會在本地進行消費。

How small businesses benefit local economies

小企業如何造福本地經濟

Small business has long been seen as a boon to local economies， but why is that？ Small businesses help boost a community’s broader economy in several concrete ways that bigger businesses cannot. Here are three ways small businesses contribute to the economy.

一直以來，人們都認為小企業造福了當地經濟，這是為什么呢？因為小企業會通過多種實打實的方式推動本地整體經濟發展，而大公司卻無法做到。以下列舉小企業為經濟做出的三方面貢獻。

Job creation

創造就業崗位

The first way small businesses impact the economy is through job creation. While this might seem obvious， it is incredibly important. According to the SBA1， small businesses created a net 12.9 million new jobs in the last 25 years， which accounts for roughly 66% of all jobs created in that span. In the same period， large businesses only added a net 6.7 million jobs， the SBA reports.

小企業影響經濟的第一種方式是創造就業崗位。雖然看似顯而易見，但這一點無比重要。據美國小企業管理局數據，過去的25年中，小企業凈增1290萬個工作崗位，大約占同期新就業崗位總數的66%。與此同時，大公司僅凈增670萬個工作崗位。

Small business job creation was pivotal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as well. According to the SBA， during the first two quarters of 2020， at the start of the pandemic， 9.1 million jobs were lost. In the following four quarters， through Q2 of 2021， small businesses created 5.5 million jobs， a 60% recovery from the pandemic-era decline.

小企業所創造的就業崗位在新冠疫情暴發后起到了至關重要的經濟支撐作用。根據美國小企業管理局數據，2020年上半年，疫情暴發之初，全美國共計消失了910萬個工作崗位。在接下來的一年里，直到2021年第二季度，小企業創造了550萬個就業崗位，相較疫情期間的下滑，回升了60%。

Innovation

推動企業創新

Small businesses and startups provide more than just jobs for community members. More local small businesses means new ways of thinking and fresh perspectives， almost like an entrepreneur mindset. For large businesses， trying fundamentally new approaches can be akin to turning a battleship， while it is relatively simple for small businesses to reinvent themselves.

小企業和初創公司為當地社區的貢獻不僅僅是創造了工作崗位。更多本地小企業參與經濟活動，會帶來全新的思維模式和商業視角，幾近企業家思維。對大公司來說，嘗試全新的商業模式難如巨艦掉頭，而小企業進行變革就容易得多。

Small businesses are generally more nimble than large businesses， with tighter-knit teams and simple communication channels. This enables them to quickly pivot and change their operations in major ways with minimal investment. As a result， early-stage entrepreneurs can act as laboratories of innovation， testing new ways of doing things and seeing if any of them pay off. And when they do， it can put the local community on the map.

小企業通常比大公司更為靈活變通，團隊更為緊湊，內部溝通渠道也更為簡便。因而，小企業能以最低的投入實現快速戰略轉型和運營方式調整。因此，初創階段的企業就像創新實驗室，不斷嘗試做事的新方法，從中找到獲利途徑。當小企業發現盈利之道時，就會推動當地社區蓬勃發展。

Opportunities for individuals

發掘個人機遇

During the COVID-19 pandemic， many workers who hoped to develop their careers with their current employer were subject to layoffs. They might have been in good standing with their employer， possibly even in line for a promotion， but economic headwinds saw their jobs disappear nearly overnight. Many chose to start their own businesses and become their own boss to weather the storm. In 2021 alone， Americans created 5.4 million new businesses， the most in a single year by more than 20%， according to a report released by the White House.

在新冠疫情期間，許多希望在現有雇主處發展自己事業的員工遭遇了裁員。被解雇的員工可能在現有公司里表現良好，甚至晉升在即，但經濟逆風一夜間將他們的崗位倏然吹散。許多失業者選擇創辦公司，自己做老板，以渡過難關。美國白宮發布的報告稱，僅在2021年，美國人就開辦了540萬家新企業，一年內新創辦公司的數量增加了兩成多。

When a local community has a robust network of small businesses， it creates opportunities for other individuals in town as well. As opposed to larger companies which have systematic hiring processes including resumes， cover letters， and internal reviews， small businesses are more likely to hire as much on personal merit as professional experience. This grants opportunities to hard workers who may become top employees even if they don’t have the most comprehensive experience in the field.

當本地社區擁有一個蓬勃發展的小企業網絡時，會為城鎮居民提供工作機會。大公司在招聘時遵循按部就班的招聘流程，包括簡歷篩選、求職信審閱和內部審查等，而與之不同的是，小企業在招人時既重視工作經驗也看重求職者的個人優點。這為努力工作的職場人提供了機會，即使他們并不具備該領域最豐富的經驗，也有可能成為頂尖員工。

In addition， when small businesses flourish， so does demand for local professional services like accountants， real-estate agents， lawyers and marketers. Small business owners are more likely to do business with professionals they know and trust， rather than farm out2 their work to a large national or multinational firm. That creates opportunities for professional service startups in a local community. As small businesses themselves， the emergence of these professional services compounds the local economic growth spurred on by small businesses.

此外，當小企業蓬勃發展時，對當地專業服務的需求也會隨之增加，包括會計、房地產中介、律師和營銷人員等。小企業主更傾向與他們熟識并信任的專業人士合作，而不是將相應業務外包給大型的全國性公司或跨國公司。這也為本地提供專業服務的初創企業創造了機會。這些專業服務機構（它們本身就是小企業）的涌現會讓由小企業推動的地方經濟發展擁有更強勁的動力。

What is the definition of a small business？

小企業的定義是什么？

The SBA’s definition of a small business is a company that employs fewer than 500 people. This may vary depending on the industry a business operates within. Nearly 80% of small businesses have no employees at all. Of the roughly 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S.， only about 6 million have paid employees. The remaining 25.7 million are non-employer firms.

美國小企業管理局對小企業的定義是：雇員人數不超過500人的企業——具體人數可能因企業所處的行業而異，甚至將近80%的小企業根本就沒有雇員。在全美約3170萬家小企業中，僅有600萬家企業擁有帶薪員工，剩下的2570萬家企業都是無雇員公司。

Why small businesses are critical for economic growth

小企業為什么對經濟增長至關重要？

Though small businesses represent a considerable portion of the total U.S. economy， they are often forgotten by American leaders and consumers. Still， American small businesses create nearly two-thirds of American jobs and generate nearly half of the country’s economic output.

雖然小企業占據美國經濟總量相當大的份額，但它們常常被美國的政策制定者和消費者所遺忘。盡管如此，美國的小企業創造了近乎2/3的美國工作崗位和美國近一半的經濟產出。

Given the impact that small businesses have on the broader American economy， it’s critical to create a healthy environment for small businesses to operate. While larger firms’ economic impacts are more widely recognized， leaders shouldn’t give unfair advantages to a small number of businesses when small companies （even solopreneurs） account for a considerable portion of total economic output.

既然小企業對美國總體經濟有著舉足輕重的影響，那么為小企業的成長壯大創造良好環境至關重要。大企業的經濟影響力已世所公認，政策制定者還是應該給予占經濟總產值相當大比例的小企業（甚至個體經營者）更好的待遇，而不應為少數大企業提供不公平的競爭優勢。

（譯者單位：北京大學）

1 = Small Business Administration。

2 farm something out把（工作）包給。