Nearly half of Brussels self-employed are non-Belgians

Nearly half (46%) of the self-employed people and small business owners in Brussels do not have the Belgian nationality, writes Het Laatste Nieuws. The statistic reflects the diversity in the capital, but also shows that it is not necessary to provide special services to encourage more immigrant entrepreneurs, says the French-speaking entrepreneurial organisation UCM.

The data comes from a study conducted by UCM at the request of Actiris, the Brussels regional employment office. The results also reveal that there are twice as many women among the Belgian entrepreneurs as the non-Belgians.

The authors of the study note that non-Belgian entrepreneurs face a lot of the same challenges as their Belgian colleagues, including lack of equity and being largely unaware of the many governmental and private services available to guide them. The UCM therefore calls for better communication.

Photo: Karatom Design