Russell George MS – the Shadow Minister for Business and Economy – is today (May 18) calling for a concerted effort to provide support for people running businesses in the self-employed and small-to-medium sectors (SME) during the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
Mr George made his call at the start of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, and said:
“Many employed in the public, and private, sectors will have access to emotional and psychological support provided by their employers.
“It can provide a vital service for people in times of stress and duress, as many may now be experiencing, and of course they will have the informal support of work colleagues through social media.
“However, those who work in the SME sector or are self-employed tend – by the very nature of their industries – will be more isolated and without that crucial support that working in a bigger team can provide.”
Mr George added that these lone workers, the self-employed, or those running small high-street shops, perhaps with just a couple of members of staff, often have slim operating margins and often little in the way of reserves, and in many cases, are now not working and no clear idea when they will be.
He said:
“The SME and self-employed sectors are an intrinsic part of the economic backbone of Wales; they tend to take entrepreneurial risks and branch out without the support of others.
“The UK Government is supporting them financially, but we are calling on the Welsh Government to identify the potential risk those in these sectors face, and outline a package of emotional and psychological support as a priority, and work with industry partners – perhaps the Federation of Small Businesses Wales – to deliver it.
“When this lockdown ends, and life and work begin to return to normal, our SME sector will continue to play its part as a major contributor to the Welsh economy, but only if the government here plays its part to support them.”
An audio clip of Russell George MS can be found here.
