Report: the State of Small and Medium Businesses for 2015
Jerusalem, February 1, 2016 – The Small and Medium Businesses Agency at the
Ministry of Economy and Industry
For full English summary
http://1drv.ms/1m8Uda2

Positive conclusions:
- A rise in the number of small and medium-sized businesses in Israel and
the number of people employed there
- A rise in the GDP and productivity of small and medium-sized businesses
to a greater extent than in large businesses
- A large number of new positions (net, after subtracting the positions
that ended) that new small businesses contributed to the economy
- During 2014, bank interest rates for small and medium-sized businesses
fell
- Over recent years, there is a small but consistent rise in the number
of self-employed women

Negative conclusions:
- A bureaucratic and regulatory overload for small and medium-sized
businesses and a delay in regulatory impact assessment as against other
developed countries
- A low business dynamic relative to other developed countries
- Large gender gaps in business ownership and management
- Large gaps between the local authorities in their level of “business
user-friendliness”
- A low level of cooperation between the public bodies in making digital
services available to the business sector.