Despite the different realities, contexts and levels of development between Latin America and Spain, which many consider to be part of the first world, and regardless of the differences between the laws and regulations of each country, there are points in common and problems arise. shared.
According to the General Directorate for Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises (DGPYME), in March 2022 there were almost three million SMEs throughout Spain, of which 40% are micro-SMEs, 5% are small and less than 1% are medium. The question is where is the 54% that we lack? Well, the DGPYME says that this interesting number of companies that do not fit into any of the above categories, actually do not have registered workers with legal benefits.
With these data we can conclude that it seems that the post-pandemic Spanish economy would not be doing its growth a favor.
After knowing these data, and many others that anyone can have access to, we can glimpse the similarity of the impact of SMEs on the economy of Spain compared to those of Latin America, where micro, small and medium-sized companies make up almost 99 % of all companies and contribute more than 60% of GDP.
Likewise, these studies show that Spanish businessmen encounter certain inconveniences for their growth, development, and sustainability that businessmen in Latam are already familiar to us. These are: deficient business vision in the medium and long term, which reduces the chances that sustained growth can be planned; the lack of reliable human resources for such structures (since the average citizen prefers the largest corporations); the fear of internationalization, linked to a fundamental doubt about the difference in competitiveness with other European players and, finally, a great barrier linked to the professionalization of the owners and managers, which does not allow them to walk at the pace of the rest towards the digital and technological conversion of business.
Clearly, Latin Americans, in all our disorder, youth, cyclical political and economic crises, and marked instability in our markets, have the same problems to grow that Spanish businessmen have.
All this should call us to reflect on the way in which we are facing the future in an America that is further away from the centers of power, that operates with higher capital costs, with companies that find it more difficult to operate the international trade, with working citizens with many more unsatisfied needs than Spanish operators (apparently), and more difficulties in accessing the production technology necessary to take a step forward.
If with all this we realize that our competitive advantages can and should be recognized, expanded and made available to a regional economy that cries out for opportunities and growth, we have no choice but to commit to long-term development.
This will require us to work actively in the generation of quality education and knowledge first, to then arrive at the spontaneous germination of opportunities, which on our side of the world are as massive as we have unsatisfied needs.
A critical look at ourselves and the conviction of what the future we want is going to help us undertake new challenges, looking first at local markets and then at external ones, but always honoring our competitive advantages to return to our more profitable and sustainable economies.
* Marcelo Carbone, graduate in administration, business consultant, university professor and TEDx speaker.
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