Small craft businesses decrease but the largest ones increase: -12.333 the balance between business registrations and terminations for sole proprietorships (-1,39%) at the end of 2016, almost 6 thousand less for partnerships (-2,51 %). On the other hand, a positive balance for joint-stock companies: +2.477 enterprises equal to +3,28% compared to 2015. Overall, for the handicraft industry, 2016 still closed with the 'minus' sign between registrations and terminations (-15.811 units) but an improvement compared to 2015. And it is the least heavy result since 2011.
This is one of the news that emerges from the analysis by Unioncamere and InfoCamere, conducted on the basis of data from the register of companies of the chambers of commerce relating to last year. If the selection process of the artisan universe, triggered by the crisis and made evident in 2009, is still ongoing, the general picture nonetheless shows a significant and progressive slowdown of this dynamic over the last four years.
In 2016, the drive to recover ground mainly affected some sectors of the universe of services. There are almost 1.900 more artisan businesses in Rental, travel agencies and business services, also thanks to the positive impulse coming from the Building and landscape services activities. Positive balance also for Other services (+864), driven by personal services (+1.205). The most substantial reductions, on the other hand, above all concern the two "strong" sectors, in terms of number of businesses, of the craft sector: construction, which in 2016 "lost" over 10 activities and manufacturing, which decreased by almost 5.500. Almost 2 thousand less, then, the craft businesses that operate in transport and storage.
At territorial level, the only provinces with a positive balance are Milan (+300 businesses, +0,43%) and Bolzano (+26, +19%). Situation unchanged in Imperia. All the others file a 2016 with a negative sign, with drops between -0,12% in Grosseto and -2,95% in Chieti.
