A new report funded through the Midlands Engine Mental Health and Productivity Pilot (MHPP) finds that firms impacted by mental health sickness absence suffered a 25% hit to their productivity Bosses surveyed cited remote working and job insecurity as risk factors – but many unsure where to turn for advice on boosting staff wellbeing… Read more

We know that the UK has a ‘long-tail’ of low productivity firms. The ability of these firms to increase their productivity has become a considerable concern for policymakers and is the subject of the Government’s soon to be published Business Productivity Review.  It is now recognised that one of the keys to raising productivity within… Read more

In 2018, Rachel Reeves described the “everyday economy” as the ‘services, production, consumption and social goods that sustain all our daily lives’ (Reeves 2018). The term ‘everyday economy’ resurfaced in the new small business strategy published by the government last year (HMSO 2025). One chapter of the strategy focused specifically on SMEs as the ‘crucial… Read more

In recent years, we have heard much of the ‘frontier firms’ – those at the top end of the productivity scale, leaping further ahead of other firms – the hares and the tortoises, if you will. But our recent research, examining Companies House data for more than 17,000 firms across 12 sectors, suggests that small and… Read more

• Enterprise Research Centre study shows higher numbers of fast-growing firms in a region can lead to net loss of jobs, especially in rural areas • But clusters of companies that combine job growth with productivity gains have a positive impact from ‘spillover’ effects • Policymakers need to be aware of trade-offs from promoting job… Read more

   SME growth ambition key to UK productivity puzzle UK Productivity to be boosted by increasing exporting and innovation among small and medium sized firms. Britain’s productivity is falling behind other economies because it is failing to turn ambitious smaller firms into exporters of innovative new products and services, according to a new report. With… Read more

Newly-elected MPs heading to Westminster, inboxes no doubt groaning with congratulatory messages and policy briefings, have a busy few weeks (and months) ahead. Moving forward with the first stage of getting Brexit done – the EU Withdrawal Bill – will consume much of parliament’s time at the beginning of 2020. But then what? It’s the… Read more

On the 21st June the ERC welcomed over 100 delegates to The Shard for our fifth State of Small Business Britain Conference, which this year had a focus on the topical theme of ‘Productivity and Place’. Through a lively mix of presentations and discussions, the conference covered a range of issues affecting the productivity of… Read more