The number of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Greece is expected to decline by 3.3 percent this year, while their workforce is expected to fall by 2.8 percent in 2011, a report published by the European Commission said on Tuesday.

The Commission report also expects that added value from the operation of SMEs in the country will decline by 3.9 percent. The report showed that employment in small- and medium-sized enterprises fell 5.0 percent in the 2008-2010 period, while added value was down 3.8 percent over the same period.

The EU’s executive arm said that SMEs account for 99.9 percent of total enterprises in Greece, contributing 71.7 percent of added value and accounted for 85.6 percent of employment in the private sector. (AMNA)