(19.07.2023) In Switzerland, only 38.3% of employed individuals consider starting a business as a good career choice, compared to an average of 65.1% in comparable economies, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2022/2023 report.
Significant disparities have been observed among the linguistic regions: among German speakers, over half (54.8%) of employed individuals recognize a favorable environment for starting their own business, while only a third of French speakers (33.2%) share this view. In the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, this proportion drops to 11.8%.
Furthermore, individuals perceiving good entrepreneurial opportunities in Switzerland are less likely to fear failure (32.3%) compared to the overall high-income countries (43.9%). This fear decreases with age: 46.4% of young adults aged 18-24 express fear of bankruptcy. This proportion decreases to 38.3% among 25-34 year-olds and gradually decreases for the following age groups, ultimately settling at 24.5% among those aged 55-64.
According to the GEM report, the primary motivation driving Swiss entrepreneurs is to make a positive contribution to society (57.4%), followed by a lack of salaried positions (47.1%) and the prospect of generating high income (37.1%). Taking over a family business is only a determining motivation in 11.2% of cases.
The report also highlights the lack of interest among new Swiss businesses in digitization: only 31.9% of businesses launched within the past five years would utilize digital technologies for commerce, compared to an average of 48.5% in high-income countries.
Last modification 19.07.2023
