Asylum Seekers Involvement in Self Employment : Study of the influencing factors on business start-up in Sweden

• Main Author: Saha, Dipankar
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet 2011
• Subjects: Business studies; Företagsekonomi
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-49820

Self employment has become one of the essential issues for countries which receive significant flow of migration from different countries. Earlier studies examined the economic activities of the migrated people in a developed Nation and analyzed the economic impact in relation to this subject. A number of extensive research and different statistical data documented that, in recent years, Sweden received a significant flow of political migration compared to other European countries. Due to the demand of advanced labor market, migrants face difficulties to integrate within the labor market which ultimately drive them to become self employed.   The purpose of this study is to find out the factors influencing the asylum seekers to start a business in Sweden. The author realized that, there is still lack of research on migrants issue especially who are going for business in Sweden. Previous researches focused more on intra group differences in self employment and many other different issues related to immigrants. Though, a great deal of research has been performed on immigrant, but factors associated with starting a business by the migrants have been partially emphasized. However, this study intensely focused on the driving factors of starting a business in Sweden by the political migrants.   The author conducted a qualitative study by applying semi structured interview with five immigrant entrepreneurs who came here through political migration. All the participants have shared their experience with the difficulties they have faced to get jobs and indicated the factors that drive them to start a business in Sweden. In addition, the participants shared their experience concerning some valuable information to start a business in Swedish economy.   Moreover, this study found that the structure of the skilled labor market, educational requirements and cultural barriers are major push factors which drive the migrants towards business.   Furthermore, this study also highlighted the pull factors to start a business in Sweden. Factor includes supportive business environment, neutrality of Sweden and so on.   In addition, the study raised some of the personal factors of the entrepreneur which also inspired them to start a business in Sweden.       Keywords: Self-employment, migration, political migration, Sweden, business, labor market, entrepreneur, economic migration