YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

152 Figure 3.22: My schooling has given me the skills to start and run a business. 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 2020 2010 I don't know. 2.5 0 Strongly agree. 11.1 5.3 Agree. 22.2 21.7 Neiter agree nor disagree. 23.1 29.1 Disagree. 27.5 26.5 Strongly disagree. 16.0 17.5 0% Sources: Mladina 2010, Mladina 2020. The rather high level of young people’s knowledge and skills of entrepre- neurship is also reflected in their self-perception of their ability to identi- fy business opportunities. In fact, 50.9%of young people agree or strongly agree with the statement that they have enough knowledge to identify a good business opportunity. On the other hand, the uncertain socio-eco- nomic situation in 2020, linked to the public health crisis and the epidem- ic of Covid-19 disease, has undoubtedly had an impact on the attractive- ness of certain forms of employment, especially when it comes to self-employment and setting up one’s own business. However, this gener- al perception of the challenges of these forms of employment, especially when it comes to the issue of job security, is also strongly conditioned by the experience of young people, who have often been forced into this form of self-employment, either by government policies or by employers’ desire for a more ‘flexible’ workforce. Schools and the media also contribute sig- nificantly to the popularity of self-employment through their pro- grammes and campaigns, which often present this career path as too idyllic (Kozorog, 2019) and do not prepare people for the real challenges