// NEWS //
Small businesses adopt increasingly cautious hiring stance
Small business sales and jobs are still growing but losing momentum following a reasonable start to the year, according to the latest Xero Small Business Insights data from Xero, a global small business platform.
Small business jobs growth for the September quarter stood at 1.1 % year-on-year( y / y) but slowed consistently over the quarter – from 1.6 % y / y in July to 1.1 % y / y in August and just 0.7 % y / y in September. This likely reflects both softer sales performance and heightened levels of uncertainty, with shifts in international trade policy and concern about potential tax rises in the Autumn Budget.
With the outlook remaining unclear, there are signs that small businesses are adopting a more cautious approach to hiring. In the three months to September, the proportion of small businesses growing their workforce fell to 26.4 % in the quarter, its smallest share since mid-2020 when the UK was in lockdown. Meanwhile, the number of small businesses downsizing their workforce grew to 24.4 %, the highest level in two years.
Small business sales also continued to grow at a slower rate in the September quarter. Sales were up 3.1 % y / y, although this was the smallest rise in 18 months and below the rate of inflation,
making the result a decline in inflation-adjusted( real terms). In some good news for small businesses, the Bank of England’ s interest rate cut did offer some respite, with sales spiking at 4.5 % y / y in September, up from only 1.1 % y / y in August.
TeamSystem strengthens its support for SMEs in Türkiye with two new acquisitions
TeamSystem, an Italian tech and AI company leading the
Digital Transformation of businesses and professionals, is expanding its commitment to small- and medium-sized enterprises( SMEs) in Türkiye with two new acquisitions completed through its subsidiary, Mikrogrup.
The group has acquired 100 % of Bizim Hesap, a cloud-based pre-accounting and business management platform serving more than 40,000 SMEs, and taken a minority stake in Nef Solution, a FinTech company specialising in financial risk management and compliance.
Founded in 2013 in Istanbul, Bizim Hesap provides integrated solutions that simplify and digitise everyday operations for SMEs, including e-invoicing, warehouse management, e-commerce and payment systems. Its founders, Mehmet Çelik and Barış İnalpolat, will continue to lead the company to ensure business continuity and innovation.
Nef Solution, founded in 2021, has rapidly become a key player in AI-driven financial risk and compliance solutions for SMEs and financial institutions. The company collaborates with modefinance, a TeamSystem Group company specialising in credit ratings and financial analysis, to develop advanced digital tools that help businesses manage risk more effectively.
“ These two acquisitions strengthen our mission to empower SMEs through technology,” said Federico Leproux, CEO, TeamSystem.“ Türkiye represents a vibrant and strategic market where digital innovation can accelerate business growth.” Göktekin Dinçerler, Head of TeamSystem Türkiye, said the deals confirm the company’ s commitment to making Türkiye a key hub for SME-focused digital innovation across the Mediterranean region.
10 Intelligent SME. tech