… * Being self-employed is a choice with only 20 per cent of new owners doing so because they couldn’t find a job;
* The 50 and over age group is the fastest growing segment of new business owners accounting for nearly 30 per cent of start-ups;
* The self-employed are more educated – a third have a university degree;
* 70 per cent of new businesses are started by men but women tend to be more successful;
* Educational services (up almost 65 per cent since 2007) and health care are (up almost 20 per cent) are growing fastest:
* B.C. leads the country with start-ups representing 3.9 per cent of the employed population…