중소기업과 고용에 대한 기존연구와 새로운 연구방향에 관한 소고

Abstract

This is a critical review paper of the relations between small and medium enterprises and job creation. The importance of the role of SMEs in job creation has been consistently posed by academic researchers and practitioners. Realizing that SMEs are the important source of job creation, variety of policies on invigoration of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial environment have been adopted in developed countries such as Europe and the United States. For large enterprises have emphasized on restructuring due to excessive human resources and capital, SMEs has been the important source of job creation. Particularly, the innovative venture firms have contributed substantively to job creation. Similar phenomena have been occurring in Korea as well. Since the IMF financial crisis of late 1990s, SMEs have created more jobs while large enterprises have tried to concentrate on reorganization and restructuring of human resources. In chapter 2, the theoretical relations between SMEs and job creation are reviewed briefly. In chapter 3, issues of research methodological approaches are discussed. This paper discusses not only macro approaches but also micro approaches such as perspectives of individual firms and individual job seekers. In chapter 4, the new research areas regarding employment issues of SMEs and the future research directions are discussed and introduced. In the final chapter, chapter 5, the paper closes with the summary and conclusion. In Korea, although large enterprises in the manufacturing sector have achieved global competitiveness with rapid increase in products and sales amount of the manufacturing sector, they do not contribute significantly in job creation due to the expansion of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and off-shoring in abroad. In recent years, overseas investment by large enterprises in Korea exceeds its domestic investment resulting decrease in local job creation capacity of large firms. While the contribution of SMEs has been higher than that of Large enterprises until 2006 and this trend still seems to be valid. Generally speaking, SMEs has been the important sources of job creation and kept job stability. During the past decades, SMEs has created substantial amount of jobs in most developed countries. What is more, recent global financial crisis has deteriorated job growth even more. SMEs is experiencing labor shortage, while job seekers of younger generation are suffering from unemployment. Thus the goal of this paper is to review briefly existing researches on the relations between SMEs and job creation and to propose future researches. Recently, there are more researches that innovation in SMEs is more substantial in job creation. Particularly, entrepreneurship, which plays a pivotal role in innovative activities of SMEs, is gaining more importance (Garret and Wall, 2006). In the States and Europe, the important role of entrepreneurial activities by SMEs in job creation has been recognized, so that the start-up assistance policy has been emphasized more. But indirect supporting policies have been employed, instead of direct supporting polices. However, the long-term vs short-term impacts of entrepreneurial activities on job creation has been continuously argued. The start-up of new firms has two controversial influence like a double-edged sword. It directly affects job growth by creating new jobs, but it also diminishes job growth by substituting existing firms with new ones. Researchers generally agree with the fact that entrepreneurial activities has a positive effect on job creation but its discussion of long and short-term effects is inconclusive. The empirical evidence of the entrepreneurial activities has been mixed up: some countries showed positive impact on job creation while others negative one. In Korea, Lee (2009) and Lee et al. (2011) showed positive impact on job creation. Traditionally, job creation has become one of the main subjects of macroeconomics. Globalization has led to the increase in foreign direct investment and automation of manufacturing facilities of large enterprises, which has diminished job creation. What is more, large firms have a favorable advantage of flexible adjustment of labor forces according to business cycle, comparing to SMEs. In recession, they can cut off excessive workforce without any big problem because they are at the favorable position of attracting new job seekers. On the other hand, SMEs are not flexible with adjustment of workforces, which keep holding labor forces even in case of recession. Ironically, inflexible labor adjustment of SMEs played a role in hoarding the potential unemployed labor forces. For some more information about SMEs' job creation, categorizing SMEs more in detail is needed. There can be classified two types of SMEs : new venture firms started-up and existing SMEs with long age. In terms of job creation capacity, new venture firms survived for some years (generally 5 years or more) showed more positive effect on job creation, comparing to existing enterprises or new ones started-up newly. This paper also highlights some issues addressed by micro approaches, which deals with individual firms or individual job seekers, rather than unit of the national economy. First, a paradigm shift is necessary to expand job creation in today’s jobless growth period. Potential SMEs can appeal to younger generation if they emphasize human resource development such as career education development. Second, the miss-match issue in labor market is critical. There exists a critical miss-match of information between job seekers and firms. Firms do not have enough information on job seekers and vice versa. Third, creating new types of jobs or firms could be a complement to the job growth issue. Especially, supporting the creation of one-man companies could be the alternative. Fourth, creating jobs in emerging the industry sector is also very important. The Korean government is focusing on ‘green growth’ strategy and related industries such as new regeneration energy could be important sources of job creation in near future. Traditionally, researches related to labor market have adopted macro perspective. However, macro approach could not cover SMEs' diversity, so that micro approach is needed to compensate for weakness of macro method. Recently, there is a strong tendency to assume an employee as a human capital. Therefore, there is a general agreement that the competency of job seekers is substantially related to the possibility of employment. Thus, future research focusing on the competency of job seekers could be desirable. As economy goes to the aging economic structure, unemployment of the old generation would be the big social issues in near future. There are some arguments that the supporting unemployment programs for the old generation would crowd out the young generation's job. Some more research on this issue is needed. Traditionally, macro approach has been employed in research on SMEs' job creation, but micro approach is needed to compensate for missing parts due to aggregated analysis.