According to new research released this month, the glory of entrepreneurship, the American Dream to trump all American Dreams, isn’t the reason that immigrants are more likely than any other demographic to launch a small business soon after setting foot on American soil. Instead, at least according to one study, it’s because once they get here their employers treat them like crap.
Hoping to debunk a theory that the United States was “stealing” the best and brightest entrepreneurs from less privileged nations, researchers at Israel’s Ono Academic College delved into the impact of immigration on entrepreneurship using data widely available on LinkedIn LNKD -2.59%. “This online professional networking resource is targeted to executives of various organizations in approximately 200 countries,” Zelekha explains. “LinkedIn presents a ‘survey’ of over 120 million members and almost the entire population of entrepreneurs. It is continuously updated by its users and can give ‘real-time’ results.” According to the study’s release, LinkedIn data was supplemented with United Nations research.
It is undeniably true that first-generation immigrants are likely entrepreneurs—the study found a direct and positive relationship between a high yearly flow of immigrants to the U.S. and a rise in entrepreneurship over the past 18 months. But immigrants turning to entrepreneurship. . . (READ MORE)
Article by: Meghan Casserly
Published at: Forbes.com
