2.1.4. The entrepreneurial sector in general: an entrepreneurial dynamic
From a general perspective, the entrepreneurial fabric of the Azores consists
predominantly of small, very small and micro enterprises. Therefore, and also
due to the well-known conditions which are characteristic of Outermost
Regions, economies of scale are naturally relatively limited.
Company indicators Azores Portugal
Rate of company formation (%) 19.04 15.09
Rate of company closure (%) 22.56 19.74
Average number of employees in company startups
(%) 1.23 1.28
Survival rate at 2 years (%) 46.06 49.36
Proportion of companies with 250 or more
employees (%) 0.09 0.55
Total companies with less than 10 employees:
(%); 95.4 95.6
Average number of employees per company: 3.3 3.5
Average volume of business (thousands of
euros) 257 316.6
Average GFCF value per company: (thousands
of euros) 23 21
Value of the GAV market prices per company
(thousands of euros) 57.8 78
35
Percentage of staff costs in the GAV (2009):
(thousands of euros) 70.66 61.89
Capital/employment coefficient (thousands of
euros) 50.07 48.48
The production specialisation of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is clearly
based on the primary sector and on services. GAV at market prices generated
in these sectors in 2010 thus represents more than 90% of regional GAV.
However, efforts have been made to promote economic diversification, which
should be reinforced during the 2014-2020 period, especially in the agro-food,
tourism and science and cutting edge technology sectors.
Cluster logics for some production will be identified and developed, namely
those linked to the main components of the economic base, with a view to
extending this logic to other economic activities.