The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook) announced the results of the ‘2024 SME Survey’. This survey was comprehensively revamped to provide detailed information on SMEs, including changes in the survey targets, methods, and publication content. The survey targets were clarified to ‘SMEs excluding micro-enterprises’, and the number of industries surveyed expanded from 10 to 16.
In 2024, the sales of SMEs (excluding micro-enterprises) amounted to 2,085 trillion won, and the number of employees was 7.92 million. Retail and manufacturing industries accounted for the highest proportions in both sales and number of employees. The total R&D expenditure was 16.4 trillion won, concentrated in manufacturing and information and communication industries. Regarding subcontracting transactions, 16.7% of SMEs were subcontractors, and subcontracting sales accounted for 18.8% of total sales.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to focus on policy support and institutional improvements to enhance the growth ecosystem and mutual cooperation of SMEs. Efforts include expanding income and corporate tax reductions for new industry youth startups and launching an online one-stop support center for startups. Additionally, the government is pursuing the establishment of a support system for business succession through M&A to help aging SMEs continue operations after the retirement of their managers.
The ministry has been working to address issues related to subcontracting transactions through the operation of an unfair trade reporting center and the implementation of a delivery price linkage system. In 2026, it plans to introduce simplified mediation procedures and expand the dispute mediation committee to support the smooth autonomous resolution of disputes between companies.