Unlocking the Social Economy 2025

Inclusive employment Social enterprises are more likely to employ and be led by historically marginalized groups. Today, social enterprises employ 200 million people, which accounts for 6% of the world’s working population.38 Industry research from the UK suggests that social enterprises provide good quality jobs: they are more likely than other businesses to provide better pay, offer training, involve employees in organizational decision-making and retain staff.39 Women are at greater risk of being left behind in the green and digital transitions. Globally, there is a significant gender gap in internet usage. As of 2020, 48% of women were using the internet compared to 58% of men.40 The role of social enterprise in women’s economic empowerment has been widely acknowledged. Strikingly, one in two social enterprises worldwide are led by women; by comparison, one in five regular businesses are women-led.41 The social enterprise sector also employs proportionally more women than the workforce as a whole and more than the private sector in each country (Table 1). Percentage of women employed by social enterprises TABLE 1 Brazil India Pakistan UK US Women (percentage of total workforce) 43% 24% 22% 46% 46% Women (percentage of social enterprise workforce)55% 25% 37% 66% 65% Source: British Council. (2017). Activist to entrepreneur: the role of social enterprise in supporting women’s empowerment. https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/social_enterprise_and_womens_empowerment_july.pdf. In most countries, leaders of social enterprises also tend to be relatively young, showcasing the potential of social enterprise in youth empowerment. The British Council finds that for most countries, leaders of social enterprise are between 25 and 44 years old.42 Moreover, a report on social enterprise in Sub-Saharan Africa finds that 73% of social enterprises deliberately employ people from poor communities, compared to 56% of profit- first businesses.43 A study on social enterprise in Europe finds that 37% of these businesses employ people with disabilities.44 In the UK, 55% of social enterprises recruit from disadvantaged, marginalized or vulnerable groups including ex- offenders, refugees and those with a history of substance abuse.45 Specialisterne Foundation in Denmark BOX 3 Digital transition dimension: All Specialisterne is an internationally recognized leader in harnessing the talents of people with autism and other neurominorities, providing them with the opportunity to sustain meaningful employment. Founded in Denmark in 2004 by Thorkil Sonne, Specialisterne has grown to operate in twenty-six countries worldwide, celebrating two decades of impactful work. Since its inception, Specialisterne has developed innovative hiring and management practices to enhance the neurodiversity of the global workforce. Over 10,000 neurodistinct individuals have been hired in roles ranging from test automation and software engineering to animal husbandry and accommodating museum guests. Source: Specialisterne Foundation Unlocking the Social Economy: Towards Equity in the Green and Digital Transitions 14