The latest results of a survey carried out by the Chamber of SMEs have offered food for thought which the government cannot ignore.

The survey, carried out in January, with the results being published last Tuesday, show that many businesses are concerned with the way things are going and the direction the country has taken, not only with regard to their own operations, but also in general.

Their major worries related to their business are late payments, persistent employee shortages and unfair competition.

Late payments are a vicious cycle that, unless curbed, could lead to further problems. It means that the businesses' creditors have a problem with cash-flow which, in turn would affect the businesses' own cash-flow and, as a result, also have an impact on the government's own income from taxes and national insurance contributions. In his presentation on the survey results, the Chamber of SMEs president Paul Abela remarked that the government must itself stop its "culture of late payments".

Unfair competition is also an issue that was highlighted. Many today are opting to purchase items directly from abroad, finding cheaper options than what they would get from a Maltese retail outlet. Added to this, the businesses remarked that inflation and a reduced spending power have also had an influence on what people choose to buy.

The third major issue, that concerning employees' turnover, is a huge headache to employers who invest in people, teach them the ropes only to lose them within a year or two, maybe even less. This is happening across all sectors of business, and does not only involve foreign workers. Whereas, in the past, many used to find a "job for life" or one in which they settle in for many years, today it is more likely that the younger generations switch between jobs on a regular basis in search for better salaries and improved conditions.

The survey gave a snapshot of what businesses think about matters which are not strictly related to their enterprise. Here, the results were not surprising, as they reflect what most of the rest of us think - that 42% per cent of the respondents highlighted lack of good governance, 40% mentioned corruption and 27% pointed out overpopulation as the top three issues the country is facing is not a surprise. This, the businesses said, are affecting people's quality of life.

The problem is that although these matters have been emphasised for years, little has been done to make things better.  Good governance, corruption and overpopulation are matters which are spoken about every day, and yet there has been little effort on the part of the government to improve the situation. It is not only a "culture of late payments" that needs to be addressed, as Paul Abela said, but also a "culture of anything goes".

The government must be the first to give an example, but in this respect it is not doing its job.