Summary
The preliminary figures of business statistics show that there were 348 994 non-financial companies in 2009, 0.5% less than in 2008. Both the number of persons employed and turnover decreased 3.9% and 8.2%, respectively, in line with the strong decrease of the economy observed in 2009. The reduction in turnover was registered in the majority of economic sectors, especially in the manufacturing industries with a year-on-year fall of 15%.