New figures published today show between April 2011 and June 2020 more than 13,000 jobseekers in Scotland used support from their local Jobcentre and the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme, to launch their own business.
The top counties in the region with the most entrepreneurs include Glasgow with 2,200 start-ups; Fife with 1,050; and Edinburgh with 1,000.
Launched in 2011, there has been over a quarter of million NEA starts by unemployed benefit claimants which has helped turn aspirations into reality, offering participants a personal business mentor, weekly living allowance and applicants can apply for financial backing of up to £25,000 to realise the ambitions for their start-up.
Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said:
This remains a challenging time for families across the country but whether people are looking for a new job or a new source of income, there is hope.
Our Jobcentre staff are there to help and can open doors to new opportunities, like the support offered through our New Enterprise Allowance. I’m calling on all the budding entrepreneurs out there to contact their work coach and discuss how to make their business idea a reality.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said:
It’s fantastic to see tens of thousands of people in Scotland have benefitted from the UK Government’s New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme since its launch.
The UK Government are committed to backing jobseekers with ideas to start their own business. Starting a business is potentially life-changing and small business owners are the backbone of our economy.
Encouraging entrepreneurship, helping people back into employment and supporting businesses are key priorities for the UK Government and will help drive economic recovery as we build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.
