Digital two-tier society

The entry of digital technologies into German SMEs can no longer be stopped. More than one in three (35 percent) companies expect them to increase significantly over the next five years, and 39 percent still expect a slight increase.

These are the findings of a study by the auditing and consulting firm EY (Ernst & Young), for which 3,000 medium-sized companies in Germany were surveyed. However, there are also factors that prevent a good one in three companies from making greater use of digital technologies.

One in eight complains about limited financial resources, one in nine about a lack of personnel, and one in eleven says it does not have the necessary know-how. EY partner Peter Englisch sees SMEs as being on the right track overall, but warns against a two-tier society.

The different ways in which digital technologies are used will not change much in the future. While only 29 percent of smaller SMEs expect digital technologies to become significantly more important in the next five years, the figure for large companies is 46 percent.

"Setting up for the future must not be a question of size".

warns English.