Entrepreneurship in Israel in decline

The latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor finds that only 5.7% of Israelis engaged in entrepreneurship in 2010.

The level of entrepreneurship in Israel continues to fall. A recent report by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor finds that only 5.7% of Israelis aged 18 to 64 engaged in entrepreneurship in 2010. This compares with 6.1% in 2009, and 6.6% in 2008. The research also indicates a substantial gap between the center and the Negev, with the proportion of people engaged in entrepreneurship in the south half that in the rest of the country.

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor carries out research in 59 countries via academic institutions and research institutes. Dr. Ehud Menipaz, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, who coordinates, says that this is the first time that the situation in the Negev has been examined using the research tools of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. "One of the clear conclusions of the new research is that the periphery does not receive preference, and in fact is in an inferior position to other parts of the country. Now it can be said that this gap has been scientifically proved. The investment in entrepreneurship in the Negev is substantially below the national average, the income of an entrepreneur in the Negev is lower than that of an entrepreneur elsewhere in the country, and the gap between the center and the periphery is only growing," Menipaz told "Globes."

The research in Israel was carried out among 501 respondents aged 18-64, and was based on a detailed questionnaire with 162 questions about the inclination towards entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial activity. The responses show that most entrepreneurs in Israel are young, with an average age of 25-34. Most are male. One third of the entrepreneurs in the south earn less than the average wage. One quarter of the entrepreneurs nationwide reported above average income.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 16, 2011

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011

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