The influence of economic motivation, desire for independence and self-efficacy on willingness to become an entrepreneur

Background: Employees involved in dirty work lack a desired social identity because of stigma attached to their occupation. Pursuing entrepreneurship as a career choice could be one corrective measure they can take to achieve a high-standing position in society. Aim: This study was undertaken with the goal of investigating the predictive capacity of desire for independence (DI), economic motivation (EcoM) and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) regarding willingness to become an entrepreneur (WEE) for employees involved in dirty work. Setting: Although this study is grounded in well-developed theories, the study is of value given that it provides new insights with respect to the impact of EcoM, ESE and DI on WEE among employees involved in dirty work who are facing stigma. Methods: This study adopted a positivist paradigm. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. To analyse the data, factor analysis and multiple linear regression were used. Results: This study found that in the quest to achieve a high-standing position in society by employees involved in dirty work, EcoM and ESE play more crucial roles than DI as far as WEE is concerned. Conclusion: This study concluded that in the quest to achieve a high-standing position in the society, EcoM and ESE play more crucial roles than DI on WEE for employees involved in dirty work.