Around half a million people from 155 countrieshave launched businesses in the UK andthese migrant-founded companies are responsible for creating 14 per cent of all jobs.
LONDON – Indo-Britonsare among the most enterprisingof Britain’s migrant communities,a new data analysis reporthere has found.As many as 456,073 migrantshave launched a small ormedium-sized business in Britain,according to the think-tankCentre for Entrepreneurs anddue diligence platform DueDil.The report titled ‘MigrantEntrepreneurs: Building OurBusinesses, Creating Our Jobs’,found that migrant entrepreneursare behind one in seven ofall UK companies and that Irish,Indian, German, American andChinese make up the top performingnationalities.Ireland leads the charge with48,854 founders running theirown businesses across the UK,followed by India with 32,593and Germany with 30,755.Around half a million peoplefrom 155 countries havelaunched businesses in the UKand these migrant-foundedcompanies are responsible forcreating 14 per cent of all jobs,it said.“The majority of the publicappreciate the value ofmigrant entrepreneurs,yet our politicians andmedia send out negativesignals that risk alienatingthis vital group ofjob creators,” said LukeJohnson, Centre for Entrepreneurschairman and serialentrepreneur.“Given the huge contributionof migrant entrepreneurs,we are calling upon the mediaand politicians to join us in celebratingthose who come to ourcountry and launch businesses,”he added.The report coincides witha BBC revelation that the UKgovernment held back a politicallysensitive migrant impact report,that suggested the impactof extra migrants on the country’sworkforce is weaker thanwhat government has claimed.According to the “MigrantEntrepreneurs” report, the entrepreneurialactivity among themigrant community was foundto be nearly double that of UKbornindividuals, with 17.2 percent having launched their ownbusinesses, compared to 10.4per cent of those born in Britain.They are also, on an average,eight years younger than indigenousentrepreneurs at 44 yearsoldcompared to 52.This is despite the extrachallenges they face, includingaccess to finance and culturaland language barriers.A YouGov survey undertakenfor the report found thata significant proportion of thegeneral public believe migrantentrepreneurs make a positivecontribution to the UK (44 percent) and a majority support thegovernment’s efforts to attractnew migrant entrepreneurs (50per cent).This is despite the fact thepublic view immigration in agenerally negative light and supporta reduction in net immigration(68 per cent).
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