YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

158 However, the social benefit side must be balanced against the two basic motives of employment, i.e. being paid for the work done and the secu- rity of the employment relationship. An important characteristic of so- cial entrepreneurs is the prioritisation of social benefit over earnings and the search for new aspects of social value creation, which also entail considerable risks. In terms of earnings, it is immediately clear that very few young people consider that salary is not a very important aspect of work. More specifically, only 17.8% of young people consider good earn- ings to be medium, low, or entirely unimportant. Similarly, job security is high on the priority list of individuals, with only 18.8% of young peo- ple considering job security itself to be of medium, low or no impor- tance. For all others, it is perceived as very important. Both individual (good earnings) and systemic (job security) aspects have a dampening effect on the potential of social entrepreneurship among young people and are very present in the case of young Slovenians. Although this age group is traditionally expected to have more “utopian” expectations of society and its regulation, and a greater propensity to take risks, it can be seen that the provision of financial independence and job security strongly influence individual choices. These are not in favour of youth social entrepreneurship. In the precarious social situation in which young people find themselves nowadays, they are more motivated by the factors of job security and good earnings, rather than social benefits of work. Young people can be said to possess the necessary mindset of social-en- trepreneurship and consider that they have sufficient entrepreneurial skills and abilities (see Figure 3.22), and further that they are able to identify a business opportunity in social problems. 48.1% of young peo- ple agree with this last statement. However, this is not enough for most of them to embark on an independent path of social-entrepreneurship. The fact that social entrepreneurs are a ‘rare breed’ has been proverbi- ally described by Gees (2001) in his widely cited article on social entre- preneurship, as they combine qualities that can often be seen as oppo- sites in a capitalist economy. This is also reflected in the young people