27 % 21% 15%

sales & marketing

skills

IT leadership

35% 12%

62.5%

OutsOurcing benefits

0-9employees

micro

10-49employees

smallmEDiUm

Small to Medium sized Businesses:0-9 employees Micro10-49 employees Small50-249 employees medium

SMBs account for 99.9% of private sector firms in the UK

The south east & greater London account for 1/3 of the UKs SMBs

SMB attitudes and skill gaps

An all-time high 62.5% report they want to grow in 2014

61% highlight a gap in skills amongst their employees

Reported gaps are in:27% Sales & Marketing skills21% IT15% leadership

Preventing investment in skill:38% budget35% time pressures12% concerned investing in staff who may then leave

Potential skill gap could::44% damage future growth potential39% inhibit their competitive edge 37% make them less profitable 24% stifle innovation SMB Outsourcing trends68% currently outsource some business activities

Top 5 outsourced functions year-on-year comparison

2013:1.IT 32%2. Training 23%3. Legal 22%4. Design 16%5. Finance 15%

2014:1. IT 23%2. Marketing (inc event management) 23% 3. Sales & customer service 18%4.Distribution network 13%5. Finance 10%

Outsourcing benefits:68% Save time & money66% Concentrate on their core business48% Improved efficiency