Facebook is deeply invested in understanding how small and medium-sized businesses engage with digital tools, not only because they\u2019re crucial customers, but also because small enterprises provide the majority of jobs globally.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Facebook unveiled the \u201c2017 Future of\u00a0Business\u201d survey with the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to provide monthly data on \u201cthe perceptions, challenges and outlook\u201d of online small and medium enterprises. The study spans 33 countries and more than 140,000 small businesses using Facebook Pages. Its goal is to help businesses learn from each other and to encourage them to use technology to further their reach, Facebook said.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s survey builds on an initial report in September based on 17 countries. The survey found that nearly a fifth of small businesses created jobs in the past six months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take our responsibilities seriously as a new kind of platform, and technology needs to provide the opportunity that everyone participates in,\u201d Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said in a phone interview. \u201cThe numbers of jobs that are created online and Facebook, in particular, are astounding. We want to help small businesses grow, and we want to help them continue to create jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facebook\u2019s extensive network of small businesses \u2014 more than 60 million small and medium-sized businesses have Facebook Pages \u2014 made it a natural partner for the survey, said Facebook research manager Molly Jackman. Some of the key findings of the study revolved around the relationship between the use of digital tools and international trade; gender and confidence around a business; and the Internet as an equalizing force. The findings help shed light on how the mobile, digital economy works and could help inform policy. The results will be updated monthly and shared publicly. Most of the enterprises represented fell outside of \u201ctech.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOften when people think about small businesses and Facebook they think of tech-savvy businesses or people building apps,\u201d Sandberg said. Certainly, we have some of those, but the majority are non-tech businesses \u2014 the plumbers, the bakers, the local florists who are using technology to reach customers and sell their products and services.\u201d<\/p>\n