Highs and lows define SMEs' Covid-19 recovery

THE pandemic forced many local businesses to rapidly embrace all things digital for the sake of their survival.

Now as they seek to slowly enter the recovery phase - many businesses, especially those in F&B and construction - are discovering it is no easy feat due in part to continued restrictions, according to Sleek's latest Index Report, which studied over 1,000 SMEs in the country.

As with other South-east Asian countries, SMEs are a key economic driver, employing about 72 per cent of the workforce and contributing about 48 per cent to the GDP, which is why it's crucial to understand the environments they're operating in.