From 34% in the first and second quarters of 2021, nanoenterprises resuming normal operations slumps to 23% amid new government lockdowns due to the Delta surge variant of COVID-19.

Majority or 66% reported that they experienced weak demand for their products and services. Only 22% said demand increased which is the same level in 2020 when the whole nation was placed under enhanced community quarantine. This is fewer than the 44% and 34% for the first and second quarter of the year respectively.

Half of the respondents considered themselves recovered from the pandemic but a lot are still operating below pandemic levels. The other half are optimistic that they will be able to recover in the next 6 months.

Profile of respondents

In this 14th update of rapid community assessment, there were 1,025 respondents. Most are female (90%), married (71%), and operate their own business or earn wages (95%). Their average age is 42 and are from the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Davao de Oro and Surigao del Sur.

Nanoenterprises are smaller than microenterprises. These are unregistered livelihoods of self-employed individuals that have capitalization of less than PhP50,000. SEDPI estimates that the vast majority of the entrepreneurial poor in the Philippines are nanoenterprises, at around 8 million.