The share of people aged 65 years and over is increasing in all EU Member States
Theoretical relative pensions of the self-employed are lower than what they would have earned as an employee
Seniors are about 60% as likely as the population to be working on pre and early-stage start-ups
There are millions of “missing” senior entrepreneurs in the EU
Seniors are more likely than younger age cohorts to own an established business
Seniors are more likely to start a business because they cannot find a job
Nearly half of seniors identify a fear of failure and skills gaps as barriers to business creation
Seniors are less likely to have high-growth aspirations for their new business
Older entrepreneurs are almost as likely to innovate and export with their new businesses
Self-employment is declining faster among those over 50 years old than overall
There are substantial age and gender gaps among older self-employed workers
Seniors are more likely to be self-employed than the population average in all countries
The share of older self-employed workers with employees is increasing
The age gap among older employers is closing but gender gap persists
Older self-employed workers were more likely to have employees in 20 EU Member States
Seniors are more likely to be self-employed in all sectors
Self-employed rates for seniors are declining in all occupations except technicians and associate professionals