La Tercera
With the support of the Templeton World Charity Foundation, a study developed by researchers at the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) revealed how entrepreneurship can become a key tool for integration, autonomy, and human well-being among migrants and older adults in Chile. The research, the first of its kind in the country, was led by Vesna Mandakovic and combined 2,885 national surveys with 32 in-depth interviews to better understand the experiences and challenges faced by these groups.
The study emerges in a context marked by profound demographic transformations. Currently, 33.1% of the Chilean population is over 50 years old, while nearly 10% corresponds to the migrant population. However, both groups continue to face high levels of informality and difficulties accessing the labor market, pushing many to engage in entrepreneurship more out of necessity than vocation.
The findings show that, despite structural, cultural, and financial barriers, migrant and older entrepreneurs report higher levels of life satisfaction and human flourishing compared to their non-entrepreneurial peers. According to the study, migrant entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of life satisfaction than non-entrepreneur migrants, while a similar trend is observed among older adults.
The research also warns that the Chilean entrepreneurial ecosystem is still not designed to fully integrate these groups. Difficulties accessing financing, business networks, public programs, and formalization mechanisms limit their growth potential. In the case of older adults, ageism and digital exclusion remain persistent challenges, while migrants continue to face social prejudice and fewer opportunities to access institutional support.
For José Ernesto Amorós, project researcher and UDD academic, Chile has unique conditions to transform this reality. In an interview with Pulso, he stated that “Chile is a natural engine for promoting entrepreneurship among migrants and older adults,” highlighting that both groups represent an opportunity for the country’s economic and social development.
