Abstract:

The Syrian War has led to a refugee crisis due to which over 4.9 million Syrians have fled the country. Turkey holds over 3.5 million Syrian refugees which demands immediate attention for economic and social integration of these refugees. Economic integration has been very problematic due to a lack of labor market integration. Problems still exist after the legal changes in work permit processing for Syrians made in January 2016. Entrepreneurship provides an alternative for economic integration of Syrians into Turkey. In addition, migrant entrepreneurs are able to provide employment opportunities to other migrants as well as locals, increase investment, and boost economic activity. This study focused on finding the problems faced by Syrian entrepreneurs and the opportunities which are available for them in the Turkish market. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 Syrian entrepreneurs in different districts of Istanbul. The results show that Syrian entrepreneurs face many hurdles including language barrier, high business costs, transparency of market opportunities, access to finance, lack of knowledge about commercial and taxation law, lack of governmental/non-governmental support, and discrimination. Opportunities for Syrian entrepreneurs include large Syrian ethnic communities, ease of registration, social networks, and at times leniency by governmental authorities.

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