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Self?Employment amongst Migrant Groups in England and Wales: New Evidence from Census Microdata

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  • Clark, Ken

    (University of Manchester)

  • Drinkwater, Stephen

    (University of Roehampton)

  • Robinson, Catherine

    (University of Kent)

Abstract

Self-employment constitutes a vital part of the economy since entrepreneurs can provide not only employment for themselves but also for others. The link between self-employment and immigration is, however, complex since self-employment can be viewed as both a haven from the paid labour market or as a source of economic growth. Moreover, the nature of self-employment has changed considerably in recent decades, especially with regards to providing a flexible form of employment for many demographic groups. We investigate the evolving relationship between self-employment and immigration in the UK 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

  • Clark, Ken & Drinkwater, Stephen & Robinson, Catherine, 2015. "Self?Employment amongst Migrant Groups in England and Wales: New Evidence from Census Microdata," IZA Discussion Papers 9539, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9539
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Frederick Wedzerai Nyakudya, 2019. "Positive local externalities of immigration on entrepreneurship: Evidence from the UK East Midlands region," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 34(3), pages 271-293, May.
    2. Kingsley C. Njoku & Thomas M. Cooney, 2020. "How Does the Man-Know-Man Network Culture Influence Transnational Entrepreneurship?," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 6(1), pages 163-181, January.
    3. A. Arrighetti & G. Foresti & S. Fumagalli & A. Lasagni, 2018. "Are Migrant Firms Actually Different From Native Firms?," Economics Department Working Papers 2018-EP05, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    self‐employment; immigrants; United Kingdom;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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