El estancamiento de la actividad emprendedora en la informalidad y sus factores de decisión.

Abstract

Entrepreneurship in Ecuador is considered a fundamental activity for its development; because it generates employment, distributes wealth and dynamizes the economy. However, despite the progressive growth of entrepreneurship, there are still barriers that hinder its insertion within a legal framework, making it one of the countries with the highest rates of informal entrepreneurial activity in the region. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to determine the factors associated with the decision to formalize informal enterprises. To this end, the research was developed with a non-experimental transactional design, with descriptive and correlational scope for the analysis of the most relevant characteristics and the evaluation of the relationship of dependence between variables; a simple random sample of three hundred and one informal entrepreneurs located in the central area of the city of Machala was also used. The results show that there is a high percentage of middle-aged and older adults who have been running their businesses for decades in the informal sector, mainly motivated by the need to; most of them have completed secondary school or high school, their salaries are below the basic salary and they do not perceive the desired flexibility or economic independence. Therefore, it is concluded that, although entrepreneurs have the experience and ability to trade, the decision to formalize and stagnate in informality are associated with low- and middle-income levels, as well as the absence of external financing.