Despite Crisis, Greeks Want Own Business

While more than 68,000 businesses have closed since Greece’s crushing economic crisis and austerity measures began in 2010, one of two Greeks still wants to run their own business, according to the latest Flash Eurobarometer 354 Entrepreneurship in the EU and Beyond report from the European Commission.

The survey looks into public attitudes on various issues leading to entrepreneurship, such as entrepreneurial education, risk-taking, start-ups, obstacles to entrepreneurship and business failures. According to its findings, 96% of the Greeks who took part in the survey pinpointed as the main barrier for starting their own business the current lack of funds deterring them from any entrepreneurshiping activity. Another 77% claimed that lack of information also contributed to a new businesses stagnate.

Greeks, Lithuanians, Portuguese, Romanians, Latvians and Bulgarians are the only exceptions among the 27 Member States, whose people rather tend to look for employment as employees in a company or in the public services.

In 2012 in comparison to 2009,  the percentage of citizens around Europe wishing to run their own business dropped from 45% to 37%. In fact, self-employment became less popular especially in northern countries, such as Sweden, Finland and Denmark, where the majority of people (more than 70%) prefer to work as employees rather than risk financial and entrepreneur openings.