The critical role small businesses play is being recognized by no less than the United Nations this week. The UN announced Thursday May 11 it would designate June 27, 2017 as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Day.

The special designation acknowledges the vital position small businesses occupy in economies around the globe as job creators. The UN will call upon these businesses and other entrepreneurs around the world to create an estimated 600 million jobs worldwide over the next 15 years.

This is the number of jobs projected to be lost globally over the same period due to automation — particularly artificial intelligence — according  to the World Bank.