MORE than 100,000 jobs have been created with the support of Scotland’s national business advice service over the decade since its delivery passed to local authority control, Business Gateway has calculated.
It estimated, with 99,004 businesses started with support from Business Gateway since local authorities took over delivery of this advice service in 2008 from Scottish Enterprise, 108,904 jobs had been created by these enterprises.
Business Gateway said this employment calculation was based on the Scottish Government’s “jobs-to-enterprise ratio” used within the Businesses in Scotland 2017 report.
In the year to March 2018, Business Gateway provided support to 53,008 individual customers. It noted this number included people thinking of starting a business and existing enterprises looking for support.
It said the number of new businesses set up last year, with support from Business Gateway, was 9,129, with 47 per cent led by women.
Scottish Economy Secretary Keith Brown said: “Business Gateway [continues] to play a crucial role in Scotland’s public enterprise support system. The numbers of individuals supported, businesses brought into existence and jobs created due to the commitment of advisers in local offices across Scotland throughout this past year and over the last decade deserves recognition.”
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