Small companies account for a large proportion of the workforce domestically and globally. The World Bank Group estimates small and medium enterprises constitute roughly 90% of all businesses and are responsible for more than 50% of global employment, as LinkedIn notes in its prediction. Entry-level and early-career workers also tend to make up a higher proportion of the workforce at small businesses than at larger firms.
"By the time these changes appear in official statistics, policymakers may already be reacting to yesterday's disruptions, committing billions to programs that target skills already displaced," the researchers said.