While 63% of Poles respect and recognise successful entrepreneurs, only 43% view entrepreneurship as a viable career path, according to the new GEM Poland 2024 National Report. This cautious attitude has persisted since 2022 and remains far below the peak levels of 2018-2019, when nearly 80% of Poles held positive views about entrepreneurship. Poland’s perspective is noticeably less optimistic compared to Europe, where 69% admire entrepreneurs and 60% see self-employment as a good option.
Adding to the challenge, only 38% of Poles report encountering media content about successful entrepreneurs. This figure, stagnant since 2021, places Poland last among 49 countries surveyed in the 2023 research cycle.
Positive Business Environment Meets Lingering Doubts
Despite improvements in perceptions about starting a business, Poles remain hesitant to take the leap. In 2023, 83% believed it was easy to start a business in Poland – an increase from the previous year and well above Europe’s average of 52%. Optimism about local startup conditions has also grown, with 74% of Poles expecting favourable conditions in the next six months.
However, these positive views haven’t translated into entrepreneurial intentions. Just 2.6% of non-entrepreneurs plan to start a business within three years, far below Europe’s average of 12%. This metric has been declining in Poland since 2017, despite a small increase in 2023.
Barriers to Entrepreneurship in Poland
Poles’ fear of failure continues to play a major role. In 2023, 52% of those who recognised business opportunities hesitated to act due to fear of failure. This a slight improvement from 2022 but still above Europe’s average of 45%.
Confidence in entrepreneurial skills has also dropped. Only 48% of Poles believe they have the knowledge and ability to run a business, unchanged from 2022 but below the 50-60% levels recorded between 2011 and 2021.
Report editor Anna Tarnawa commented: “The GEM data shows that while 2023 brought slight recovery from the challenges of 2020-2022, early-stage entrepreneurship remains weak. The pandemic, the war on Poland’s border, and resulting crises like high inflation and rising energy costs pushed many small businesses to the brink. Entrepreneurs faced uncertainty, increasing costs, and regulatory challenges, including a widely criticized 2022 tax reform. Meanwhile, the labour market stayed with low unemployment. Next year’s data will reveal whether these trends continue.”
The report was published by the GEM Poland National Team housed at the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and University of Economics in Katowice. In addition to Anna Tarnawa, authors of the report are Iwona Krysińska, Melania Nieć, Anna Skowrońska, Robert Zakrzewski, Przemysław Zbierowski and Milena Gojny-Zbierowska.