INFORMAL MICRO AND MINI ENTERPRISES IN TH E LARGE CITIES OF EL SALVADOR - ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

More than half of the population in Salvador works in the informal sec tor. It is a dynamic sector in spite of outdated equipment and technic al, managerial and financial shortcomings. Very small enterprises get their financial assistance from communal banks. This system, however, penalizes those entrepreneurs who wish to increase the size of their b usiness. The present study concentrates on the urban industrial inform al sector. It is based on the results of a questionnaire that was dist ributed to informal entrepreneurs in order to establish a profile of t he mini and micro industrial enterprise. The profile was then analysed to determine which sectors were more profitable and what was required in terms of financial , technical and managerial assistance.