Medium-sized enterprises in Serbia: Basic characteristics and employment

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the basic characteristics of the medium-sized enterprises in Serbia with emphasis on the employment in this sector. Numerous studies point out that the role of SMEs is extremely important in the national economy. It is obvious that there are numerous analyses and discussions about the segment of SMEs. However, little attention is given to medium-sized enterprises only. In Serbia, detailed analysis of their basis characteristics is missing. Having in mind that medium-sized enterprises have a great potential to create new jobs as well as contribute to economic revival, it is understandable why we have decided to analyse this segment. Using the statistical data from Serbia Business Registry Agency we have managed to classify medium-sized enterprises according to registered activity and statistical region. The results show unsatisfactory regional and sectoral distribution that does not indicate good prospects for the development of medium-sized enterprises. This paper could be considered, to a certain extent, as a tool policy makers can use in the process of creating environment that would stimulate development and better prospects of medium-sized enterprises and their employees.

Keywords

• medium-sized enterprises
• employment
• regional disparity
• activity analysis