Back in Business? How WA’s small businesses are adapting to a COVID-19 world

Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the economy and business sector, but for small businesses these shocks can be more challenging to deal with, with fewer resources to draw from.

The latest lockdown is a set-back for WA’s small businesses, with business closures and restrictions putting a hopefully temporary halt to the small business sector’s recovery.

But we now know what supports can help small businesses the most.

The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre has captured new data to understand the impact COVID-19 has had on small businesses, whether they have the supports needed to succeed and how they see the future outlook.

This new report, the fourteenth in the Focus on WA series, covers findings from the 2020 BCEC Small Business Survey including the significant costs, workforce and other pressures businesses have experienced and their expectations for the year ahead.