The intervention of the government in the labor market, the increase in labor costs, the impact that the reduction of the day may have, the increase in social contributions and the possible increase in compensation for dismissal will influence very negatively on employment, hiring and the viability of business activity. This is warned by entrepreneurs in the last barometer of the SME prepared by Cepyme, which confirms that more than half of the companies expects to take restrictive measures if the working day is reduced, including the renunciation of project development, reduce the size of the company with staff cuts and the hiring break.
90% of companies believe that the reduction of working hours until 37.5 hours will have a negative impact, and from this percentage 25% ensure that they will have to make adjustments of greater or lesser draft. Even in 13.55% of cases, the measure would endanger the survival of the company. Together with the reduction of the working day, entrepreneurs show their concern about the possibility announced by the Government of an increase in dismissal. In this case, 63% consider that they will have to do without jobs.
The increase in social quotes or an eventual increase in compensation for dismissal are other reasons of difficulty exposing three out of four SMEs, which also point as problems for business development the search for qualified personnel, political instability or tax burden.
Two out of three companies have confirmed that they saw their operational margins reduced by 2024, of which 10% suffered a lot of cuts and another 7% came to consider their viability in danger, while 38% saw their stable costs or with a tendency to increase slightly.
A third of businessmen highlight that the increase in normative uncertainty – which is added on the existing one – and the concern to the future impact of the new measures have reduced their operational capacity, having significantly increased the labor cost, already very high by 2025 because of the new increase in the minimum interprofessional salary and the increase in social contributions.
Government policies related to companies are rejected by 93% of respondents. Thus, 86%believe that uncertainty harms their business: paralyzes projects (27%), it las investment (31%) or conditions decisions on employment creation or maintenance (36%). The effects of these measures on employment evolution prospects make 80% of entrepreneurs do not provide for their workforce by 2025 only 6% of entrepreneurs expect their company to improve sales this year.