According to the Polish Economic Institute (PIE), people over 50 set up 35 thousand one-person businesses a year. 40% of them are women. The PIE report shows that Poles are more inclined to set up their own businesses than their peers in other EU countries.

A quarter of economically active Poles 50+ run a business. For the European Union, this indicator is 18 %. At the same time, such entrepreneurs employ workers more often than people in other countries.

Last year, people over 50 established over 35 thousand one-person businesses (JDG), according to data from the Central Register of Economic Activity and Information. This is 12 % of all sole proprietorships established at that time. Men were more likely to opt for this form.

The most common reason cited in the survey was the need for independence (71 %). A large proportion of people (69 %) want to make use of their experience, and 63 % set up a JDG to stay economically active after losing their full-time job. More than half of those surveyed wanted to achieve a work-life balance.

“There is a push out of 50+ people from the labour market due to negative stereotypes of older workers (so-called ageism) and employers forcing people to set up their own business due to cost-cutting by entrepreneurs. Starting one’s own business then becomes the only option to be able to continue earning money”, assesses Katarzyna Dębkowska, head of PIE’s economic foresight team.

People over 50 face problems when running a JDG. The most common are raising external capital, intricate administrative procedures, and difficulties in attracting customers. Lack of money for self-promotion makes it difficult to find employees. One in three entrepreneurs has difficulties finding premises to run their business.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński