Switzerland is widely believed to be the epitome of prosperity. What most people don't know is that the road to such success was quite difficult, and that the country, which is now a prosperous and prosperous country, was not long ago struggling with serious problems.
Both Georgia in the 1990s and Switzerland in the 19th century were countries of emigration. Between 1815 and 1914, more than 400,000 Swiss left their homeland (at that time a largely agrarian country) and went to other countries in search of a better life. Only in the mid-20th century, after the end of the world wars, was the country able to reverse this trend and Switzerland also became a target for the influx of foreigners.
What caused this turning point?
The small Alpine country, with its scarce mineral resources and limited agricultural potential, was doomed to innovation from the very beginning. The small size of the domestic market forced local entrepreneurs to export their products abroad. There, they faced fierce competition, with which they learned to increase productivity.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become the driving force of the Swiss economy and the main source of innovation. They have developed new products and improved existing products and services to suit the needs of the consumer. The pursuit of perfection in production processes has become a common trend among the Swiss, whether in the production of sewing machines or knitting machines, engines or turbines, in the manufacture of paints or chemicals, or in the food processing industry. This all-encompassing trend has made Switzerland an industrial nation at the turn of the century, and after World War II it has established itself among the largest exporters on the planet.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are still the backbone of the Swiss economy. Two-thirds of employees work in such companies. According to statistics, only four out of 1,000 Swiss companies are large businesses (firms employing more than 250 people).
The material was first published in the online publication Agronews.
