2015年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Solomon_Islands_Country_Profile_2015_12页_518kb

Summary of Solomon Islands 2015 Enterprise Survey

Core Content

The Solomon Islands 2015 Enterprise Survey provides an overview of the business environment and firm performance in the country, comparing it to its regional group (East Asia & Pacific) and income level (Lower middle income). The survey focuses on various aspects of the business environment, including infrastructure, trade, finance, regulations, taxes, corruption, crime, and informality. It is conducted on a representative sample of non-agricultural, formal, private firms, with a focus on manufacturing and most service sectors, excluding public utilities, government services, health care, and financial services.

Main Topics Covered

• Firm Characteristics: Includes age, gender distribution in ownership and management, and workforce composition.
• Workforce: Data on permanent and temporary employees, formal training, and gender representation in different roles.
• Firm Performance: Measures in terms of employment and sales growth.
• Physical Infrastructure: Assessments of electricity and water reliability, and time to obtain infrastructure services.
• International Trade: Evaluates export and import activities, customs efficiency, and the use of foreign inputs.
• Access to Finance: Looks at sources of financing, use of financial services, and the proportion of investment funded internally or externally.
• Crime and Informality: Analyzes the impact of crime on business costs and the prevalence of informal firms.
• Regulations, Permits, and Taxes: Quantifies the time spent on regulatory compliance and the number of interactions with tax officials.
• Corruption: Measures the incidence of bribery and informal payments in different business transactions.
• Business Environment Obstacles: Identifies the most significant challenges faced by firms.

Key Findings

Firm Characteristics

• Average age of firms: 16.8 years.
• Female participation in ownership: 47.4%.
• Female top managers: 22.6%.
• Female permanent full-time workers: 34.0%.

Workforce

• 42.0% of firms offer formal training.
• Average years of experience for top managers: 11.5 years.
• Average number of permanent full-time workers: 45.0.
• Temporary workers: 3.5% of total workforce.

Firm Performance

• Real annual sales growth: 15.4%.
• Annual employment growth: 12.2%.

Physical Infrastructure

• Average number of electrical outages per month: 4.9.
• Losses due to electrical outages: 2.2% of annual sales.
• Days to obtain an electrical connection: 12.0.
• Water insufficiencies: 0.6 per month.
• Losses due to water insufficiencies: 0.6% of annual sales.

International Trade

• 18.4% of firms export directly or indirectly.
• Days to clear direct exports through customs: 6.3.
• Days to clear imports through customs: 13.6.
• 86.0% of firms use foreign inputs or supplies.

Access to Finance

• 95.1% of firms have a checking or savings account.
• 44.4% of firms have a bank loan or line of credit.
• 71.4% of investment is financed internally.
• 11.6% of investment is financed by banks.
• 6.6% of investment is financed by supplier credit.
• 1.6% of investment is financed by equity or stock sales.

Crime and Informality

• Security costs: 2.7% of annual sales.
• Losses due to theft and vandalism: 0.9% of annual sales.
• 59.7% of firms compete against informal or unregistered firms.
• 88.7% of firms were formally registered at the time of starting operations.

Regulations, Permits, and Taxes

• Senior management time spent on regulatory compliance: 9.2%.
• Average number of visits with tax officials: 1.6.
• Days to obtain an import license: 9.2.
• Days to obtain a construction permit: 19.8.
• Days to obtain an operating license: 11.7.

Corruption

• Bribery incidence: 43.8% of firms.
• 40.6% of firms expect to give gifts for a construction permit.
• 45.4% of firms expect to give gifts to secure a government contract.
• 30.9% of firms expect to give gifts in meetings with tax officials.

Business Environment Obstacles

• Top obstacles reported by firms:
  • Access to finance: 3.5%
  • Access to land: 11.8%
  • Business licenses and permits: 3.3%
  • Corruption: 27.7%
  • Courts: 0.0%
  • Crime, theft and disorder: 1.4%
  • Customs and trade regulations: 1.4%
  • Electricity: 0.0%
  • Inadequately educated workforce: 12.1%
  • Labor regulations: 4.0%

Conclusion

The Enterprise Survey for the Solomon Islands in 2015 highlights the challenges and opportunities in the country's business environment. While the country has a relatively high level of formal registration, issues such as access to finance, corruption, and inefficient regulations remain significant barriers to firm growth and performance. Improving infrastructure, reducing crime, and enhancing the efficiency of trade and financial systems are critical to fostering a more supportive and competitive business environment.