How many employees does the undertaking have?

Number of employees, typically the average number of FTEs over the year

The requested number is typically the average number of employees (in FTE) over the past financial year, not the headcount on the date of completion. The VSME basic module requests this figure as part of general company information, together with other size indicators such as the company's annual turnover. Anyone without the exact average FTE at hand can usually refer to payroll administration or the annual report: this figure is usually already calculated there, as it is also relevant for qualifying as a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise.

A point to note is the scope: does it concern the employees of the legal entity completing the questionnaire, or the group as a whole? In a group with multiple locations, this difference can be significant. Since the same question recurs under in which countries does the company have operations, it is advisable to use the same scope consistently: if turnover is reported at group level, it makes sense to also take the number of employees at group level, and to record this in the supply chain file so that each subsequent questionnaire uses the same answer.

Basis: VSME basic module, general company information

The VSME standard of EFRAG includes the number of employees as part of the basic information about the company in the basic module, intended to indicate the size of a non-listed SME alongside turnover and balance sheet total. The standard itself does not prescribe a specific reporting date or calculation method; the common practice — an annual average in FTE — follows from how size categories are typically determined in the underlying accounting legislation to which VSME refers.