Is now a good time to start a new business? In this FT article published this morning, ERC Deputy Director Mark Hart says we could be seeing an uptick of “crisis entrepreneurs” adding that these are people who have lost their job during the pandemic and have no other choice in the current labour market than… Read more

The pandemic has brought about difficult times for many businesses in the UK. Currently, with the onset of a second wave, and the end of the Brexit transition period only 80 days away, the road to economic recovery looks arduous. Inevitably, the rate of job and firm destruction will increase but for those businesses that… Read more

      Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report calls on policymakers to create right conditions for an enterprise-led economic recovery worldwide. Policymakers around the world must provide clear advice and practical support for entrepreneurs to ensure global economies recover from the devastation of coronavirus, a new report says. Presenting a snapshot of support measures introduced by… Read more

The ERC are pleased to be involved in a major new research institute funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which will focus on how to make the UK economy more productive. The new £32m Productivity Institute is being hosted by the Alliance Manchester Business School at Manchester University for five years, starting from… Read more

This report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) draws on research from the Enterprise Research Centre and Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston Business School to provide new insights on the important contribution of, and specific barriers faced by, ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the UK. Drawing on the latest available… Read more

21st June 2018 • Firms in Northern Ireland and parts of the North of England show strong growth and productivity gains in latest annual study of SMEs • Coastal and rural areas display lower numbers of fast-growing firms, leaving them vulnerable to economic shock • Experts warn threat of more complex trading arrangements could undo recent success of… Read more

The Government’s various coronavirus support schemes aim to provide a safety net for both employees and the self-employed during the suddenly-imposed ‘lockdown’ period now affecting the UK economy. But while the headline measures announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak over recent weeks – including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) aimed at employees, Coronavirus Business Interruption… Read more

Earlier this week a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted the vulnerability of different groups of the population to unemployment following the current crisis. Businesses also vary in terms of their crisis planning and resilience, and research has shown that SMEs are less likely to connect risk identification and business planning activities, which… Read more

View video here Firm-level data hints at “canary in the mine” for UK’s employment ‘miracle’ • Enterprise Research Centre study finds established firms are already shedding jobs, despite employment being buoyed by start-ups • ‘Churn’ in private sector saw 4.9m jobs created and destroyed last year • Strong employment figures may be “lulling policymakers into… Read more

Number of new firms being started falls by 13% across the UK – with much sharper declines in many parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland Firms achieving sustained rapid growth and productivity gains remain a small minority ‘Warning signs’ highlight dangers for job creation from ongoing uncertainty around Brexit The number of new start-ups… Read more