Sweet and Sour: The Self-employment Experience of the Chinese Immigrants in the UK

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Jing Li

Summary, in English

In recent years, self-employment has emerged as an important avenue of economic livelihoods for immigrants in the western world, including the Chinese immigrants. The debate on immigrant self-employment has been widely discussed across academia and given a considerable attention by researchers, policymakers and governments. This study addresses the self-employment experience of Chinese immigrants in the city of Hull, the UK and focus on three specific objectives: to understand the determinants of self-employment, to examine the factors that facilitate the establishment and operation of the restaurant business, and to understand the social and economic consequences of self-employment.

For an in-depth investigation of the topic, this study employs a qualitative research method with semi-structured interviews that consist of nine respondents. From the data collected and analyzed, it shows that Chinese immigrants got engaged into ethnic businesses and became self-employed due to both individual and structural reasons. Ethnic resources utilized by Chinese immigrants and cultural characteristics they possess enable their Chinese restaurant businesses to survive and even expand in the host country. The investigation of the social and economic life of those Chinese restaurant owners also shows that participation into self-employment has improved their economic conditions, but the social cost is substantial.

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