Thirteen point four percent (13.4%) of the adult population in Chile is involved in early stage entrepreneurial activities, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2007 Chile National Report.  This in an increase from 2006 when Chile’s Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate was 9.2%. 

According to the Chile GEM researchers, this is the first optimistic rate in the last three years and is explained mainly by an increase in self-employment activities and greater participation of women in entrepreneurial activity.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2007 National Chile Report was launched on May 26 at ICARE* headquarters. The project is co-directed in an alliance of entrepreneurship centers of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI) and Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD).

José Ernesto Amorós, main researcher and coordinator of GEM Chile at UDD, said: "although Chile maintains regional leadership in terms of quality of the entrepreneurship, many of these activities are based on self-employment.  That means many of these new ventures are not very competitive and innovative.”  Jorge Miguel Carrillo of UAI added: "Chile is in a transition concerning its entrepreneurial activities but we are still far from the more developed countries, where there is clear promotion of high-potential entrepreneurial activities."

The Sub-Secretary of Economy, Mr. Jean-Jacques Duhart, who was Executive Director of the InnovaChile national public agency that this year is GEM Chile cosponsor, commented on the report and gave some important announcements about public policy improvements related to the promotion of entrepreneurship in Chile. Representing the private sector, Mr. José Luis del Río, entrepreneur and past-president of ENDEVOR Chile, presented a summary of the principal findings and made some suggestions to advance the construction of the “entrepreneurial capacity of the country.”

Concerning entrepreneurship framework conditions, education, R+D transfer, and public policy are major opportunities areas that need improvement.  GEM researchers suggested that to improve these areas will require a greater commitment by the government, private sector and individuals, since it is necessary to take entrepreneurship and innovation seriously and give priority to them as generators of economic growth.

See the complete report at http://www.gemchile.cl/ (in Spanish).

*ICARE is a NGO founded by main Chilean companies and is devoted to promoting the national business improvement and applied research.