The B.C. government today launched the Small Business Profile 2012, a statistical report highlighting the major role small business plays in B.C., through job creation, economic investment, exports and contributions to the province's gross domestic product.

Produced by the B.C. government and BC Stats, the Small Business Profile is released every October. The profile can be found online, and new this year, a web-based version optimized for smartphones is also available.

Some of the 2012 profile's highlights include:

• B.C. ranks first in Canada for the number of small businesses per capita, with 84.2 per 1,000 people.
• Small business provides about 56 per cent of all private-sector jobs in B.C., the second-highest rate in the country
• B.C. small businesses shipped approximately $16.9 billion worth of merchandise to international destinations in 2010, up $6 billion from 2009.
• Small business employed over one million people in the province in 2011.

The profile highlights the thousands of small business owners in British Columbia who help create jobs for families and demonstrate the strong entrepreneurial spirit throughout the province. It also profiles seven small businesses and the hard-working people who founded them.

The Small Business Profile is available online at:
http://www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/pdf/SmallBusHLEngWeb.pdf

Mobile (smartphone) version of the Small Business Profile: http://www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/m/2012profile/

Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 356-8177