MacLachlan, Ian

Permanent URI for this collection

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Economic development and industrial employment: A thousand points of light?
(Alberta Association, Canadian Institute of Planners, 1991) MacLachlan, Ian
This paper disputes some of the empirical analysis on small firm job creation and argues that small enterprises are responsible for a relatively modest share of employment and employment growth at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. While the importance of small business should not be gainsaid, the traditional large firm sector is still a vital component in municipal economic growth and decline. The shortcomings of data on small enterprises are discussed to encourage a more skeptical interpretation of research findings on employment creation. Economic development strategy should include the attraction of new large enterprises and the needs of existing large employers must be addressed if the community economic base is to be sustained.