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Self-employment amongst migrant groups: new evidence from England and Wales

Author

Listed:
  • Ken Clark

    (University of Manchester
    IZA)

  • Stephen Drinkwater

    (IZA
    University of Roehampton
    CReAM, UCL)

  • Catherine Robinson

    (University of Kent)

Abstract

Self-employment constitutes a vital part of the economy since entrepreneurs can provide employment not only for themselves but also for others. The link between self-employment and immigration is, however, complex, especially given the changing nature of self-employment. We investigate the evolving relationship between self-employment and immigration using recently released microdata from the 2011 Census for England and Wales. Our findings indicate large variations, with high self-employment rates observed for some groups with a long established history of migration to the UK (especially men born in Pakistan) and also for some groups who have arrived more recently (such as from the EU’s new member states). We further explore the differences, analyse variations by gender and identify key determining factors. In addition to certain socio-economic characteristics, it is found that migration-related influences, such as English language proficiency and period of arrival in the UK, play an important role for some groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Ken Clark & Stephen Drinkwater & Catherine Robinson, 2017. "Self-employment amongst migrant groups: new evidence from England and Wales," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1047-1069, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:48:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-016-9804-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-016-9804-z
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    4. Pan, Mengyang & Hill, James & Blount, Ian & Rungtusanatham, Manus, 2022. "Relationship building and minority business growth: Does participating in activities sponsored by institutional intermediaries help?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 830-843.
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    6. Aldén, Lina & Bastani, Spencer & Hammarstedt, Mats & Miao, Chizheng, 2020. "Ethnic Differences in Long-Term Self-Employment," Working Paper Series 1361, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    7. Dabić, Marina & Vlačić, Bozidar & Paul, Justin & Dana, Leo-Paul & Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Glinka, Beata, 2020. "Immigrant entrepreneurship: A review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 25-38.
    8. Zovanga L. Kone & Isabel Ruiz & Carlos Vargas-Silva, 2021. "Self-employment and reason for migration: are those who migrate for asylum different from other migrants?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 947-962, February.
    9. Joan Martín-Montaner & Guadalupe Serrano-Domingo & Francisco Requena-Silvente, 2018. "Networks and self-employed migrants," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 735-755, October.
    10. Monica Fisher & Paul A. Lewin, 2018. "Push and pull factors and Hispanic self-employment in the USA," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1055-1070, December.
    11. Maribel Guerrero & Vesna Mandakovic & Mauricio Apablaza & Veronica Arriagada, 2021. "Are migrants in/from emerging economies more entrepreneurial than natives?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 527-548, June.
    12. Mark Granberg & Niklas Ottosson & Ali Ahmed, 2020. "Do ethnicity and sex of employers affect applicants’ job interest? An experimental exploration," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 54(1), pages 1-10, December.
    13. Sinkovics, Noemi & Reuber, A. Rebecca, 2021. "Beyond disciplinary silos: A systematic analysis of the migrant entrepreneurship literature," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(4).
    14. Mingzhi Hu & Zhongfeng Su & Wenping Ye, 2023. "The future-time reference of home-country language and immigrant self-employment: an imprinting perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 521-535, February.
    15. Elert, Niklas & Lundin, Erik, 2020. "Gender and Climate Action," Working Paper Series 1332, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised 18 Feb 2022.
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    17. Ahmed, Ali & Hammarstedt, Mats, 2018. "Customer Discrimination in the Fast Food Market? Experimental Evidence from a Swedish University Campus," Working Paper Series 1232, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.

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