The authorities will propose a new approach to the development of small and medium-sized businesses

Working conditions between 2025 and 2030 will differ significantly from the current ones, so it is necessary to draw a new vector for the development of the sector, Belousov believes. It is now proposed to focus not on increasing the number of SMEs, but on increasing their efficiency.

The updated national project until 2030 proposes to increase SME income per employee by 25% compared to 2022, introduce a new proportion of companies created annually; the figure is expected to rise to 20% by 2030 (from 17% today)

Belousov believes that it is also necessary to increase the lifespan of small businesses. Currently, the life expectancy of these companies is more than nine years, but in the first two years of existence, more than half of SMEs close.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, the first 2 or 3 years are a “death zone” for small businesses (for tech startups, the term means an unpaid period in which investments exceed profits and risk closure of the project is high). The “survival” period is scheduled to increase to 13 years by 2030.

Another KPI is greater diversification in the sector structure. It is planned to focus on manufacturing SMEs, small technology companies and companies in the tourism sector involved in import substitution.

Currently, about 36% of small businesses are engaged in trade. Belousov believes that it is necessary to increase the participation of other sectors.

Belousov also previously noted that the number of people employed in small and medium-sized businesses has reached 30 million people. In the last three years alone, the number of people working in the SME sector has increased by 7 million.