Majority Of MENA Would Prefer To Be Self-employed
By Samuel Wendel / Forbes Middle East - Image Credit: Forbes Middle East
SOURCE: Forbes Middle East - Majority Of MENA Would Prefer To Be Self-employed
An annual survey exploring the state of entrepreneurism in the Middle East and North Africa has found that once again the majority of respondents (62%) would prefer to be self-employed—but a slew of obstacles, particularly related to financial resources, still remain a major impediment.
The survey, entitled Entrepreneurship in MENA Survey, was conducted by Dubai-based job recruitment website Bayt.com along with online market research company YouGov. Data was collected online between October 1 to October 22 of this year, with 4,570 respondents from the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan and Pakistan.
Last year’s survey found that 71% of respondents preferred to be self-employed—although it should be noted that it was conducted with far fewer participants (715). In 2015, the survey had 8,164 participants, and found that 64% would prefer to be self-employed.
Although the vast majority of respondents in 2017 again reported the desire to be entrepreneurs, 84% of those surveyed were currently employed in the public or private sector. Interestingly, the preference for self-employment was considerably lower in Pakistan (39%), Algeria and the U.A.E. (both at 55%). Overall, 29% of respondents preferred to work at a company, versus being self employed.
Source: An annual survey exploring the state of entrepreneurism in the Middle East and North Africa has found that once again the majority of respondents (62%) would prefer to be self-employed—but a slew of obstacles, particularly related to financial resources,