With the support of the Templeton World Charity Foundation, researchers from the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) presented new findings on entrepreneurship, migration, and aging in Chile, highlighting the country’s potential to foster entrepreneurial initiatives among groups traditionally excluded from the labor market. In an interview published by Pulso, José Ernesto Amorós, project researcher, UDD academic, and Associate Dean at EGADE Business School, stated that “Chile is a natural engine for promoting entrepreneurship among migrants and older adults,” emphasizing that the Chilean ecosystem offers favorable conditions to foster the economic inclusion of both groups.
The research, funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, examines how entrepreneurship can become a tool for integration, autonomy, and human well-being in the face of phenomena such as population aging and increasing migration. The study combines surveys and in-depth interviews to better understand the structural, cultural, and financial barriers faced by these entrepreneurs.
According to Amorós, many older adults and migrants engage in entrepreneurship more out of necessity than vocation, due to difficulties accessing formal employment opportunities. In this context, he stressed the importance of advancing public policies aimed at facilitating formalization, expanding access to financing, and strengthening support networks that can transform these ventures into sustainable opportunities for economic and social development.
