Enterprise Saskatchewan

Entrepreneurship is one of the keys to job creation in Saskatchewan. Small businesses are defined as those with less than $5 million in annual sales or with fewer than 50 employees. Small businesses contribute more than $3.3 billion annually to Saskatchewan's economy.

• 96% of all firms in Saskatchewan are small.
• Small businesses employ over 140,000 people.
• They directly employ about one-third of Saskatchewan's labour force and account for 42% of total private sector employment. (Source: Statistics Canada Business Register, 2004)
• Many of the large businesses in the province are a product of local homegrown entrepreneurship. Of the 130 largest private manufacturers in Saskatchewan, 50% were originally started by an entrepreneur as a local small business venture. (Source: KPMG Peat Marwick Stevenson and Kellogg, Saskatchewan Fast Growth Study, June 1993)
• 69% of all Saskatchewan businesses are located in rural areas, with the majority (67%) having fewer than 5 employees (Source: Rural Businesses in Saskatchewan, Sask Trends Monitor; p. 31, June 8, 2004)