ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS AMONG YOUTH IN NORTH MACEDONIA AND THEIR LINK TO MIGRATION
Rejhan SULEJMAN
Abstract
Many studies reveal that brain drain and migration have become a serious problem for many countries, especially countries in transition such as North Macedonia. Over the past several decades migration has posed a significant issue for the country. With the political and economic instability many young people have decided to leave their homeland and seek better opportunities in other countries, mostly European countries. In the last several years with the increasing demand of employees in European countries, the youth migration intensified seriously, raising concerns about the economic consequences and the overall economic development of North Macedonia.
The objective of the paper is to investigate the relationship of entrepreneurship and migration among young people, researching whether entrepreneurship can mitigate migration intentions. The data were collected thorough an online survey using the snowball method among young individuals in North Macedonia. This study investigates how familiar young people are with the concept of SMEs, their interest in entrepreneurship and willingness to start their own business instead of moving abroad.
The results indicate that even though many young people demonstrate an interest in entrepreneurship, they face barriers to starting their own business, such as financial support, governmental support, mentorship, etc. Furthermore, this research shows a negative correlation between entrepreneurial intentions and intentions to migrate, meaning those that show willingness to start their own company are less likely to have an interest in leaving the country.
Pages: 99 - 107