Though wary about current economic conditions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs – businesses with between 10 and 999 employees) are hopeful that business will grow over the next 12 months, according to a new survey released today by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

The survey of 772 SMEs in the US, Canada and UK found that 85 percent plan to hire new employees over the next 12 months, 54 percent anticipate revenue growth of 10 percent or more and 40 percent plan to add new business locations.

SMEs are more cautious when it comes to IT and communications spending. The CompTIA study found that 51 percent of SMEs surveyed intend to increase their tech spending in the next 12 months, while 49 percent expect their tech spending to remain flat or to decline. By comparison in last year’s study, 62 percent of SMEs said they planned to boost spending, while 38 percent said it would remain flat or decline.

“In the past, tech spending might have been one of the first line items slashed in a tough economy,” says Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. “Today, SMEs are savvier because they rely on technology for an increasing amount of their core business operations. It’s encouraging to see that the majority SMEs plan to maintain, if not increase, current tech spending during this time of economic uncertainty.”

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