Abstract

Immigrants have a higher tendency to start their own businesses than the population at large, but English Caribbean immigrants, entering mainly under the Family Class category, tend to be salaried and wage earners as opposed to employers and self-employed persons. This thesis examines why English Caribbean immigrants to Montreal are less inclined than other ethnic minority groups to start their own businesses. The experiences of English Caribbean immigrants are examined in light of the Immigrant Adaptation and the Immigrant and Ethnic Entrepreneurship theories, as well as 13 studies of immigrant entrepreneur groups in Canada. English Caribbean immigrant entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs were surveyed and compared. The non-entrepreneurs identified many obstacles which prevented them from starting businesses: poor motivation towards business creation, insufficient skills and resources, and the weakness of ethnic networks. English Caribbean immigrant entrepreneurs like other immigrant entrepreneurs were both 'pushed' and 'pulled' into self-employment. However. English Caribbean immigrant entrepreneurs depended more on class resources than on ethnic resources, whereas other immigrant entrepreneur groups depended at least as much on their ethnic community as individual class resources and were above all motivated towards starting businesses. Contrary to theory, labour market disadvantages are not the cause of English Caribbean immigrants' low participation in entrepreneurship. Instead, these immigrants are negligibly endowed in class and ethnic resources and their cultural value orientations do not embrace entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, it is feasible to implement policies to improve the potential for self-employment among the English Caribbean community.