The Furlough Scheme has also provided vital support, with 37% of social businesses using the scheme, whilst the data also shows that 24% of all employees had been placed on furlough, whereby demonstrating the scale of uptake.7% of social businesses appear to have made use of UK governmental loans. There was significant uptake of various funding and governmental support schemes, with 49% accessing Welsh Government grants.Government funding and dedicated business support throughout the Covid-19 pandemic have been crucial to the resilience of the sector. 17% of all businesses surveyed in 2020 have started trading within the last two years (11% in 2018 and 8% in 2016).This indicates that despite, or perhaps because of, the pandemic, more people are choosing a social enterprise model to start a new business. Perhaps one of the most promising findings is that there appears to have been a substantial increase in start-up activity over the last two years. Social enterprise was the model of choice for many people starting a business during the pandemic. Only 6% of respondents reported they had made staff redundant with the total number reported in the survey accounting for 2% of all employees.Generally, businesses have not attempted to diversify their offer and markets, rather they have sought to maintain their operations as best they can with some adjustments to their processes. Most social businesses have been forced to pause trading and experienced loss of income, however there has been a high take up of the various support provisions which has helped them to maintain their operations.29% reported an increased demand for their services (including the 41% of health and care organisations reporting this) compared to 13% in Scotland.More businesses decided to focus on areas such as social and financial exclusion e.g. On average, social businesses described a fit with five social/environmental objectives in 2020 compared to four each in 2018.The sector is estimated to include up to 2,309 businesses and up to 56,000 employees, generating ВЈ3.1вЂ“3.8 billion in value.HereвЂ™s a quick summary of the key findings of the report: Key findings

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