Motivation and innovation 'key to start-ups', says LMO conference

Young people and innovators are often considered to be the main driving forces behind start-ups but they need to be encouraged and supported, according to the participants at the EESC's Labour Market Observatory (LMO) conference on start-ups. Donald Storrie, from Eurofound, said: "entrepreneurship is an attitude and if more people were exposed to it at an early stage of their life, they would realise it can be an option for them. Role models play an essential part in motivating the younger generation to create their own company."

Representatives of various European start-ups (Eugen Schmidt for Aboutmedia - AT, Mr Alexis Charon for Vacancesweb - BE and Jordan Hlebarov for Adventura - BG), and enterprises networks, (Grégoire de Streel for Réseau entreprendre – BE and Michal Len for Rreuse - EU), shared their experiences on start-ups' aspirations and the challenges they face in a highly competitive business world. They all mentioned the pressing need to adapt the business climate, labour costs and procurement to small businesses but also stressed the difficulty of finding young people who have the skills that enterprises need. Young recruits often require extensive on-the-job training, as the current education system does not provide them with enough practical experience.

Christa Schweng, president of the EESC's Labour Market Observatory (LMO), drew attention to the European measures at hand to help unlock the full potential of European start-ups. "Initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee are essential for creating this culture of practical education and bringing young people closer to market realities", she said.

The dual learning system, which combines classroom and in work learning, and the strong involvement of social partners were also highlighted by Paul Rübig, Member of the European Parliament, when asked about the positive employment situation in Austria.

Given that new companies create approx. 80% of all new jobs, Rübig stressed the importance of "putting employers at centre stage", in particular social enterprises and female entrepreneurs. "It is a matter of fairness towards those who create growth, they have to be shown respect and given incentives."

Lastly, the Commission, the social partners and the other participants discussed the implementation of the current measures to support new businesses as well as further initiatives for encouraging start-ups to grow and create jobs. The topics covered included: legislation such as REACH, COSME, the single market for services, the internationalisation of SMEs, EASI, the microfinance facility and labour laws which allow enterprises to respond to businesses' rapidly changing needs.

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