Un análisis comparativo de las características de las microempresas en España.

Abstract

Although the growing interest and the attention being paid to micro enterprises by public administration,there is a lack of empirical research on this topic in Spain. In this paper the main characteristics of this groupof enterprises in Spain are examined and compared to several European Union (EU) countries, using different sources of data. Results indicate that the high proportion of micro enterprises in industries such as construction, trade, hotels and restaurants, and transports seems to derive from a lack of alternative employment opportunities. Results also show the educational level of owner-managers of micro enterprises is lower than in other EU countries and even lower than that of the unemployed of the above mentioned sectors. Finally, implications of the results are discussed and suggestions for further research are made.