The Covid-19 Influence in SMEs in a Developing Country: A Delphi Method

Abstract

With the decisions that enterprises make today, they write their future whether they will work successfully or will be surpassed by the competition and in the worst case will disappear from the market. However, what shifted the normal course of operation of the enterprises in the first quarter of 2020 is coping with the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many enterprises worldwide laid off their employees, and millions of new layoffs are announced. The aim of this paper is to examine the judgments of panel experts on how SMEs in the Republic of North Macedonia is coping with the crisis, what measures can help SMEs overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic, and which factors affect their decision to lay off employees the most. The research is conducted using the Delphi method. The obtained results are presented and analyzed and will serve the policymakers in shaping the needed measures to improve the operating landscape of SMEs.