More people in Northern Ireland are looking to start up their own company in the recession.
This is according to new data from Invest Northern Ireland, which showed that the downturn has increased the amount of people asking for advice on setting up a firm, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
Figures from the body show that over 12,500 people called its Go For It enquiry line for tips between April and December 2009.
This was 16 per cent higher than Invest's target and it also saw a rise in the number of interested people visiting its website.
Over the nine months, almost 220,000 people logged on to nibusinessinfo.co.uk, 22 per cent more than the body had expected.
As a result, around 8,500 meetings took place with individuals who were wanting to have a go at running a company.
Head of entrepreneurship Sharon Polson explained that redundancy and limited job opportunities will have caused the rise.
"With many having been forced out of employment, unemployment expected to remain high for a while and employment creation expected to be subdued going forward, a lack of options may be leading to more individuals considering starting a business," she was quoted as saying.
However, she also stated that lack of demand may mean the number of companies starting is limited in the short term.
The figures come after managing director of Barclays' Local Business division Steve Cooper told the Daily Telegraph that the market for small businesses is "starting to bounce back" after being hit by the economic downturn.
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