Zelfstandig ondernemerschap in Nederland: determinanten van de instroom en de uitstroom [Self-employment in the Netherlands: determinants of entry and exit]

Contains fulltext : 64384.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)In this article we investigate (a) recent developments in Dutch self-employment rates and (b) individual determinants of entry into self-employment and exit from self-employment. Labor market surveys show that in the Netherlands the proportion of self-employed men and women has increased strongly between 1985 and 1997, especially in the service and construction sectors. The growth in self-employment is especially large among unskilled and professional workers. We distinguish between four sets of individual determinants of entry and exit: (1) human capital, (2) social resources, (3) the business cycle, and (4) personality. Event history analyses, based on life-history data (Family Surveys Dutch Population 1992 and 1998) show that all four determinants affect entry into self-employment but hardly affect exit from self-employment. We conclude that in the Netherlands the choice for self-employment is based on occupational skills, experience, social resources, and creativity, and that self-employment is not an escape for those without opportunities on the regular labor market.23 p

Dutch self-employment between 1980 and 1997

Contains fulltext : 64222.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Data from two retrospective life course surveys, the Family Survey Dutch Population 1992 and 1998, are used to investigate the determinants of entry into and exit out of self-employment in the Netherlands. First, explanations for trends in self-employment in the Netherlands are offered, and the literature on self-employment entry and exit decisions is reviewed. The data, which are based on surveys of 3,777 potential entrepreneurs between the ages of 21 and 64, are presented and analyzed. According to the data, the general shift from an industrial economy to a service economy is reflected in Dutch self-employment rates. Between 1985 and 1997, self-employment rose considerably among unskilled as well as professional/managerial people. No relation between class of previous job and class of self-employment exists. Intergenerational mobility is also an issue for the self-employed -- self-employment is most likely to occur in the same class to which the father belongs. While entry into self-employment is determined by the characteristics of the self-employed individual, exit from self-employment is caused by factors related to the firm and the macroeconomic environment. The data offer no means of distinguishing voluntary exits from forced exits