Inquiries at the Jersey Business Venture – an advice centre for people who want to set up their own business – have shot up this year, with phone interviews increasing by 32 per cent and the number of people walking in to the JBV’s office in Union Street rising by 54 per cent.
Part of the reason for this increase is because we have moved to a more central location but I would say the key factor is that more people are being made redundant or are unemployed than ever before,’ said the JBV’s executive director Lydia Cook.
‘I only began to record the number of people who were unemployed or had been made redundant last July because it wasn’t an issue until then.
But in the last six months of 2002 I saw nine redundancies and five unemployed, and so far this year I have seen 15 redundancies and 24 unemployed.
But despite more inquires – and the fact that someone without a job tends to have less to lose than someone still employed – Ms Cook is still careful to outline all the pitfalls.
People are not always aware of the costs involved and the barriers to setting up a business in Jersey,’ she said.
2222August2003
