ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A CATALYST FOR EMPLOYMENT: NAVIGATING THE UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE IN LEBANON’S PRIVATE SECTOR

This study shows the importance of entrepreneurship as a countermeasure, notably in the private sector, against a backdrop of growing unemployment and institutional failures in Lebanon. The main goal is to validate the link empirically and intellectually between entrepreneurship and lower unemployment. The research relies on primary data acquired via an internet survey and employs a qualitative technique with an exploratory-descriptive design. This instrument, which included a variety of question types, gathered information from a broad group of 150 participants, including managers, entrepreneurs, and the jobless, who were chosen using convenience sampling. The study's key findings demonstrate that entrepreneurship reduces unemployment significantly. It indicates three essential results, in particular: entrepreneurship immediately reduces unemployment rates, it reduces individuals' turnover inclinations, thus stabilizing employment, and it promotes self-employment, further reducing unemployment pressures. These findings not only highlight entrepreneurship's complex impact on employment dynamics but also advocate for its potential as a strategic lever in alleviating Lebanon's unemployment crisis.


INTRODUCTION
Unemployment remains a key global issue, having a significant impact on societies and governments, particularly in modern times.This situation does not only indicate a lack of job prospects for active job seekers; it also includes retired people, homemakers, students, and those who are unable to work.Unemployment has far-reaching consequences, producing societal issues such as crime, homelessness, bad health, and economic insecurity, among others Hill (2018).
Entrepreneurship as a Catalyst for Employment: Navigating the Unemployment Challenge in Lebanon's Private Sector International Journal of Engineering Technologies and Management Research 2 Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, is a beacon of the economic revolution, defined as the process of starting and running a new company endeavour with related risks.Beyond generating profits, entrepreneurship promotes societal change by tackling important issues, frequently through the development of novel ideas, businesses, or markets.Despite scholarly differences about its classification, self-employment, a contentious subset of entrepreneurship, remains critical Urbano et al. (2019).
Entrepreneurship's worldwide significance is undeniable, given its contributions to human capital, sustainability, poverty reduction, and technical advancement.Institutions are now including social entrepreneurship in their curricula, preparing future leaders to address societal concerns inside their businesses.Entrepreneurship is widely recognized as a significant economic engine, and its influence on job creation and economic dynamics has been thoroughly researched.Judge & Robbins (2017).
This study departs from typical approaches by investigating the interaction between entrepreneurship and unemployment in various economic and social circumstances.Understanding this relationship, particularly through empirical investigation, provides genuine insights into the societal and economic implications of entrepreneurship.Country-specific entrepreneurial disparities highlight its importance in job creation Audretsch & Thurik (2004).
The impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth and national development is well documented, with nations such as Brazil, South Africa, and India experiencing significant private sector growth as a result of entrepreneurial activity.Even in industrialized countries such as the United States, entrepreneurship is hailed as a driver of global economic competitiveness.Carayannis et al. (2020).
The entrepreneurship-unemployment nexus has received attention in the wake of high worldwide unemployment rates, with theories claiming that high unemployment motivates entrepreneurial activities.Increased entrepreneurial activity, on the other hand, is thought to boost employment and reduce unemployment Freytag & Thurik (2007).Surprisingly, entrepreneurship is associated with lower employee turnover, implying that, despite perceived insecurity, entrepreneurial firms provide greater job security.This stability results from the prevention of potential income loss and the psychological commitment of entrepreneurs.
In Lebanon, severe unemployment and poverty, worsened by political and economic turbulence, provide a bleak picture Government of Lebanon and the United Nations 2017-2020. (2019).With job creation falling far short of need, entrepreneurship and self-employment appear to be viable options.This research investigates the entrepreneur-unemployment dynamic in Lebanon's private sector.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What effect does entrepreneurship have on unemployment in Lebanon's private sector?

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• To examine the concept of entrepreneurship

LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Some scholars define entrepreneurship as dynamic, creative, and innovative venture creation.Others see it as self-employment.Academics define entrepreneurship as finding chances and gathering resources to start new businesses.It involves solving social issues with innovative ideas, enterprises, or markets Dollinger et al. (2018).Thus, entrepreneurs innovate or explore market prospects, taking risks to achieve aims.Entrepreneurship requires risk tolerance and willingness to face uncertainty, which economist Joseph Schumpeter called "wild spirits" destabilizing economies with innovative changes.Entrepreneurs use personal initiative to innovate or scale a firm, driven by opportunity, profit, skill development, and risk-taking to build or extend markets Dollinger et al. (2018).
Entrepreneurship is often seen as a risky job with high failure rates and income volatility.This study examines how entrepreneurship affects employment stability.Those with restricted work prospects may choose self-employment as an alternative, balancing unemployment, self-employment, and formal employment.While unemployment drives self-employment, it may reduce unemployment, according to controversial empirical findings Hwang (2021).
Employee turnover includes both voluntary and involuntary departures.Aspirations boost turnover intentions by increasing entrepreneurial self-efficacy and job happiness.Strong job embeddedness reduces turnover by moderating this effect.Entrepreneurship can increase or decrease turnover depending on job satisfaction, leadership quality, workplace inclusiveness, performance pressure, and self-confidence Åstebro et al. (2011).

ENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORIES
Entrepreneurship philosophies have some themes despite their diversity.Entrepreneurs disrupt economies with creative and strategic activities that go beyond new products to improve processes and create new markets, according to the Innovation Entrepreneurship Theory Carayannis et al. (2015).Entrepreneurs are crucial to economic theory because they create and distribute goods and products and are at the heart of supply networks Brown & Thornton (2013).According to the Sociology of Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial enterprises must fit social norms, traditions, and cultural structures to succeed Ruef & Lounsbury (2007).The Psychology of Entrepreneurship classifies entrepreneurs by their locus of control, personality qualities, and accomplishment motivation, making them a distinct professional group Frese & Gielnik (2014).The Resource-Based Theory states that successful entrepreneurship requires strategic acquisition and use of resources, including human and social capital Kuratko (2016).The Five-Phase Theory shows how entrepreneurial ventures evolve from stimulation to feedback, and how they mature non-linearly Kuratko (2016).Finally, the Theory of Income Choice, or Income and Employment Theory, guides government policy and strategy to stabilize the economy by focusing on macroeconomic dynamics including output, unemployment, and wages Kuratko (2016).

UNEMPLOYMENT
The OECD defines unemployment as actively seeking a job but not finding it.Unemployment includes people awaiting job reinstatement after dismissal but excludes those quitting job searches for education or discouragement Abbott & Teti (2017).

TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Cyclical Unemployment: When demand drops during recessions, production, and personnel layoffs Pigou (2013).
Frictional unemployment: People switching jobs barely affect the economy.Job searching and market operations naturally produce it Pigou (2013).
Structural Unemployment: Mismatched skills and job needs, or geographical dislocations cause structural unemployment.The displacement of workers by technology also causes this sort of unemployment Pigou (2013).

CONSEQUENCES OF UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE ECONOMY
The economic effects of unemployment extend beyond the individual.Personal financial pressures reduce consumer expenditure, which may cause recessions.Long-term unemployment can damage mental and physical health, skills, and the economy Hall & Kudlyak (2020).
High unemployment causes poverty, community decay, and social unrest.International commerce and economic growth may suffer from protectionist policies.Crime rates rise with unemployment, highlighting its social implications Hall & Kudlyak (2020).

EMPIRICAL LITERATURE 2.3.1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Complex entrepreneurship-unemployment nexus.Some research implies that crises spur entrepreneurship, such as increased unemployment.However, the unemployed may lack entrepreneurial skills and funds Freytag & Thurik (2007).
Entrepreneurship may boost employment in "creatively destructive" economies.Entrepreneurs earn from innovations that lower production costs or increase consumer demand.According to empirical and theoretical frameworks, unemployment promotes entrepreneurship, which reduces unemployment Freytag & Thurik (2007).
This relationship is complex.Unemployment can spur self-employment, reducing unemployment.Economic downturns encourage the unemployed toward self-employment, while good periods offer strong marketplaces for entrepreneurs.Thus, unemployment and self-employment involve recession-driven necessity and prosperity-driven opportunity Audretsch & Thurik (2004).Turnover decrease is another factor.Due to psychological commitment and probable revenue losses when returning to salaried jobs, entrepreneurs have lower turnover rates.This stability contrasts with pre-entrepreneurial periods with increased turnover Failla et al. (2017).

METHOD 3.1. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study employs a qualitative technique, which is ideal for an in-depth examination of the dynamics of entrepreneurship and unemployment in Lebanon's private sector.Unlike quantitative research, which seeks numerical data for statistical analysis, qualitative research dives into the complexities of 'how' and 'why,' using techniques such as focus groups and in-depth interviews to gain nuanced insights.Although detailed, this method has limitations in generalizability and necessitates careful consideration of the population scale for meaningful and reliable conclusions.

RESEARCH DESIGN
The study design serves as a road map for data collecting, directing us toward reliable answers to our research questions.We picked an exploratory descriptive strategy from among many designs because of its applicability in exploring the complex relationship between entrepreneurship and unemployment.This design works especially well when beginning with broad principles and eventually refining down to specific study areas, laying the groundwork for future in-depth studies.

SAMPLING DESIGN
Because our research is qualitative, we used a non-probability convenience sampling technique.While convenient, this method picks participants based on availability and eligibility, which may introduce bias.However, it is especially useful for pilot studies or where there is little diversity in the population.

DATA COLLECTION
The research relies heavily on primary data acquired through electronic surveys.These surveys, which will include a variety of question types, will reach a varied participant pool of 150 people, including managers, employees, entrepreneurs, and the unemployed.Though time-consuming and potentially costly to collect, this primary data provides unprecedented insights into the study's topic, providing legitimacy and precision to our conclusions.

DATA DESCRIPTION
A random cohort from social media was given a twenty-question Google Forms survey and responded 150 times.Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 (27%), while some were 64 and older.In Lebanon, 64 is the traditional retirement age, however, people often work past it.Using their experience, many seniors become entrepreneurs, consultants, or managers.
The poll respondents were diverse.The pool was 38% employed and 20% jobless, illustrating Lebanon's severe employment problem.There were 16% selfemployed and 7% other workers, possibly contract workers.Entrepreneurs made up 13%, with 40% managing 5 to 10 staff, indicating modest business ownership.Another 35% had 30 or more employees, indicating medium-sized businesses.
6 Around 15% ran family enterprises with 1 to 5 people, while 10% managed teams of 10 to 20.
The diversity of participants' ages and occupations may seem unrelated to the study's main focus, but it helps explain Lebanon's complex employment landscape, especially entrepreneurial ventures and unemployment rates.According to survey respondents, Figure 4, Figure 5, and Figure 6 show workschedule flexibility, job satisfaction, and the likelihood of employees quitting.The survey's unemployed participants may bias results.Their comments may accurately represent employment discontent, a desire to leave (if previously employed), or neutrality in work-schedule flexibility, exaggerating these Figure 12, Figure 14, and Figure 16, obtained from linked queries, may show similar tendencies.These data points could illuminate employee turnover, unemployment rates, and job satisfaction, which are crucial to understanding how entrepreneurship affects unemployment.
Questions 9, 10, and 20 offer additional nuances that should be investigated in the data analysis section, even if they are not directly involved in numerical and frequency analyses.These questions may provide contextual information that, while not quantitative, helps explain the job landscape and entrepreneurial activities.

DISCUSSION
This complex link between entrepreneurship and unemployment has three main channels.First, entrepreneurship directly addresses unemployment by creating jobs and growing businesses Audretsch & Thurik (2004).Second, it encourages self-employment as people create their careers out of necessity or desire Audretsch & Thurik (2004).This self-employment boosts economic growth and reduces unemployment.Third, entrepreneurship affects work market dynamics, especially turnover.Entrepreneurship may initially increase job turnover, but its stability and fulfilment can later minimize it Failla et al. (2017).
The survey data, comprising 60% of respondents aged 18-42, highlights this demographic's importance in the workforce and entrepreneurship.The high unemployment rates in this age group demonstrate the importance of entrepreneurial efforts in reducing unemployment, even though Lebanon's diverse job landscape may not be entirely captured by the 20% rate.The data also shows a strong preference for entrepreneurship and self-employment as a response to unemployment and a search for better work.However, this trend highlights the complex effects of entrepreneurship on job satisfaction and turnover intentions, requiring a sophisticated explanation.

Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 12
Figure 11 Career Rating by Respondents