Extensive study on the immigrant entrepreneurs’ needs and experiences of public business services
27.03.2015
Changes in the business structure and the labour market make entrepreneurship an increasingly important channel of employment for immigrants as well. Immigrants' entrepreneurship brings new resources, ideas, and economic activity to the market, which benefits the whole economy.
The report Service needs of immigrant entrepreneurs and promotion of entrepreneurship examines the service needs and experiences of public business services of immigrant entrepreneurs and ways to promote entrepreneurship. The study focuses on public business services. The main research material comprises interviews of 64 immigrant entrepreneurs and of nine experts. The study evaluates, through the interviews and collected material, how well the present array of available services corresponds to the needs of immigrants setting up a business. Based on the findings proposals have been made for the development of services and for the promotion of immigrant entrepreneurship.
The results show that promoting immigrant entrepreneurship in Finland does not require new services specifically directed at immigrants. Existing services are sufficiently extensive, but immigrant entrepreneurs are not aware of them, and therefore do not know how to utilise them. This can be influenced by raising immigrants' awareness especially on the services of Enterprise Finland, where immigrants can find all public business services.
More than public services, immigrant entrepreneurs want cooperation and networking with the native population at large. The issue largely involves building the trust and credibility needed in business activities in which the entrepreneurs themselves are key players. It is important that immigrants would join up with the native population and integrate with their business peers, rather than their immigrant peers.
The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and carried out by TSE Entre. The report (in Finnish with an English abstract) is available at: http://www.tem.fi/files/42558/TEMjul_23_2015_web_27032015.pdf
Additional information available from Satu Aaltonen, satu.aaltonen@utu.fi, 02-333 9512.