Self-employment amongst ethnic and migrant groups in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The United Kingdom has experienced diverse migration patterns since the late 1940s and in many ethnic minority groups the level of native-born members is rising. Thus, analysis of self-employment among ethnic and immigrant groups in the United Kingdom has tended to focus on ethnic differences rather on immigrant status. The self-employment experience of immigrant and ethnic groups in the United Kingdom has varied considerably over time. This chapter provides an overview of the characteristics of migrant self-employment in the United Kingdom and their evolution over time. Among other aspects, it analyses the evolution of self-employment propensity by ethnic groups. Only a relatively small fraction of the self-employed in most ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom employ others. Although governments tend to view high levels of self-employment as a healthy indicator of entrepreneurial activity, large numbers of self-employed minorities is not by itself a good thing and government policy needs to pay attention to both the quantity and quality of self-employment.