Create Opportunities for Yourself and for Others! - Report

Micro-enterprises can contribute significantly to the promotion of equal opportunities

The Micro-entrepreneurship, Growth, Employment, Equal Opportunities Conference of SEED was held in June 2008 for micro-entrepreneurs sensitive to equal opportunities presenting  methods of co-operation mutually profitable for the employee and the employer. This was the closing conference of the programme named Create Opportunities for Yourself and for Others! sponsored by the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All and by the National Employment Foundation.

Anna Horváth, CEO of SEED presented the Hungarian situation: 86 per cent of Hungarian businesses are micro-enterprises representing a significant amount of the economy. However, they think about themselves as a handicapped group, thus they do not  feel that they could be active in the field of creating equal opportunities. Because of their significance in the economy, it is important to make them believe that they are able to promote the issue. Even more, they could solve human resources scarcity problems, very much typical at micro-enterprises. SEED has decided to match micro-enterprises coping with HR problems and deprived, unemployed social groups. Employing people from deprived groups usually leads to a high level of loyalty.

This conferenced served with lot of useful information, tools and methods to micro-enterprises about effecting equal opportunities and being profitable at the same time. A number of supporter NGOs - dealing with recruitment - were presented to make the micro-enterprises know were to go, if labour force is needed. There were presentations held by enterprises already employing and operating according to the concept of equal opportunities.

SEED presented the Equal Opportunities Handbook for Micro-Enterprises containing the theoretical background and practical information (about legislation, financing). The Handbook is only available in Hungarian, but if you would like further information, please contact the office.

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An Equal Opportunities Forum is available on our webpage.