Experiences, attitudes and recommendations of immigrants who have started their own business in the Republic of Croatia

Migrantsko poduzetništvo u zadnjih nekoliko godina se sve češće spominje te sve više intrigira javnost čija su stajališta o tome još uvijek dosta podijeljena. U zadnjih desetak godina dolazi do sve većeg priljeva useljenika s Bliskog istoka i iz zemalja Sjeverne Afrike u Europu, a samim time i u Republiku Hrvatsku. Dolaskom ljudi drugih nacija mijenja se prvenstveno demografsko tkivo zemlje u koju doseljavaju, a time i gospodarsko tkivo. Naime, useljenici često ne mogu pronaći posao, s obzirom na to da nemaju jednake prilike za to kao domaće stanovništvo te se oni u tom slučaju odlučuju upustiti u osnivanje vlastitog poduzetničkog pothvata. U današnje vrijeme osnovati vlastitu firmu veliki je izazov i za domaće stanovništvo, dok se useljenici susreću s još više dodatnih prepreka, kao što su nepoznavanje jezika te neprihvaćanje okoline i razne predrasude o njima. Upravo o tome je riječ u ovom diplomskom radu, o najčešćim preprekama i predrasudama s kojima se useljenici susreću prilikom pokretanja posla u Republici Hrvatskoj. Riječ je također o njihovim stavovima i iskustvu s javnom upravom, državnim tijelima i određenim nevladinim organizacijama i udrugama koje su ključne u njihovoj integraciji. Naglasak je na njihovom osobnom iskustvu pokretanja posla i poslovanja u Republici Hrvatskoj te na preporukama koje mogu dati za unapređenje migrantskog poduzetništva s obzirom na svoje iskustvo. Za potrebe ovog rada provedena su dva istraživanja: prvo je anketiranje poduzetnika-migranata, a drugo intervjuiranje predstavnika organizacija koje rade s migrantima i migrantskim poduzetnicima. Time je dobiven pogled i stav obje strane u vezi s migrantskim poduzetništvom u Republici Hrvatskoj, kao i preporuke za njegov razvoj.Migrant entrepreneurship has attracted a lot of attention in recent years and has very often fascinated the public, which is still very divided about it. In the last decade, there has been an increasing influx of immigrants from the Middle East and North African countries to Europe, and thus also to the Republic of Croatia. Immigration of people from other nations primarily changes the demographic structure of the country of immigration and thus the economic structure. In fact, migrants often do not find work because they do not have the same opportunities as the local population, and in this case they decide to start their own business. Nowadays, it is a big challenge for the local population to start their own business, while immigrants face even more additional obstacles, such as lack of language skills and non-acceptance of their environment and various prejudices towards them. This is exactly what this paper is about, the most common obstacles and prejudices immigrants face when starting a business in the Republic of Croatia. It is also about their attitudes and experiences with the public administration, state agencies and certain non-governmental organizations and associations that are crucial for their integration. The focus is on their personal experiences of starting a business in the Republic of Croatia and what recommendations they can make to improve migrant entrepreneurship based on their experiences. Two surveys were conducted for this study: The first one is a survey of migrant entrepreneurs, and the second one is a survey of representatives of organizations working with migrants and migrant entrepreneurs. In this way, the views and positions of both sides on migrant entrepreneurship in the Republic of Croatia and recommendations for its development were identified