The study investigates empirically how ownership affects firms domestic employment and its fluctuations. We look at six different ownership categories : first generation family businesses, second generation (or older) family businesses, state-owned companies, foreign-owned companies, publicly listed companies, and others (e.g. co-operatives and non-listed, non-family companies). It turns out that ownership matters. Volatility of employment in listed companies is much higher than in other firms. State-owned companies show the highest stability in employment, and they have also reduced their personnel less than others during the economic crisis of 2008-2009. The group of second generation family businesses shows higher stability of employment than first generation. Family businesses (especially the second or subsequent generation enterprises) are typically not high-growth firms. They seem to prefer stability over swift growth.
