DRIVERS OF SENIOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN VISEGRAD COUNTRIES

Senior entrepreneurship is an important topic in the context of current socio-economic challenges, such as unemployment, aging population, or low competitiveness of older generations on the labor market. Involvement in entrepreneurial efforts is a promising solution to these problems. However, Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland) traditionally exhibit low inclusion of senior (i.e. 55+) generation in early-stage entrepreneurial activity. Therefore, the aim of our study is to analyze the individual-level factors related to business start-up, considering the opportunity-necessity motive dichotomy. We base our analysis on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Adult Population Survey data for V4countries for years 2011 to 2014. Our findings identify the main drivers of seniors' involvement in early-stage entrepreneurial activity, with specific focus on common factors and differences between businesses driven by opportunity and necessity.