More than five years after the onset of the global financial and economic crisis, tackling unemployment is at the top of our priorities. In the European Union, approximately 4 million jobs are needed to return to pre-crisis employment levels. Groups such as youth, women, seniors, ethnic minorities, and the disabled face particularly high risks of being marginalised in the labour market. Policies should leave no stone unturned in delivering a response, and one of the under-explored avenues is action for entrepreneurship and self-employment, targeted at disadvantaged and under-represented groups.

On the most recent count, some 25.9 million EU residents were unemployed and actively seeking work, representing 10.7% of the labour force. In addition, there are discouraged workers who have given up looking for jobs, and people outside of the labour market for other reasons, who may welcome new work opportunities. One of the most promising and under-explored avenues for governments seeking to address these problems is promotion of business creation by people who are disadvantaged or under-represented in entrepreneurship and self-employment. Many inspiring policy practices are already in place across the nations and regions of Europe, but much more can be done.

The economic crisis has impacted greatly on labour markets in the European Union and many countries and regions are experiencing very high levels of unemployment and labour market exclusion. Certain social groups are experiencing particular problems – including women, youth, seniors, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities – but at the same time have under-recognised potential for entrepreneurship. Policies for inclusive entrepreneurship aim to ensure that all members of society have an equal opportunity to start-up and operate in business and self-employment or to use the experience of engagement with entrepreneurship to increase their skills and employability.