Engineers: the crisis bites, 10 proposals to the Government

The crisis triggered by the coronavirus also affects engineers. Second a survey on members of the Register of Engineers carried out by the Centro Studi Cni, between January and April (therefore including the first two months of the year, which were normal), the category's turnover fell by 24% compared to the same period of 2019. The reduction in professional activity, on the other hand, reached 60%.

According to the analysis, the first four months of 2020 closed with a reduction of the turnover for three out of four engineers and one out of three the decrease was greater than 30%. Only 9,3% closed the period positively (albeit marginally), while for 15% turnover remained stable. 

Half of the professionals interviewed also warn that in two months, in the absence of effective measures by the State, the cash on hand will be insufficient to keep the studios open (por more than a quarter, this time is reduced to a month).

Not only. According to the research, almost 77% of engineers have worked in recent months on orders acquired before the crisis and only 13% proposed works to private clients and 10% tried to work on public tenders. More than half of the interviewees, therefore, tried to recover previous credits, above all from the public administrations to try to generate liquidity.

“We expected a downward trend for many professional firms – says Armando Zambrano, President of the CNI – although not as extensive. We are certain of one thing, however: our professional studios have an intrinsic strength that would allow us to get back on track and try to take the road to recovery, albeit gradually. Almost half of those interviewed are convinced that, if the lockdown eases its grip, many studies could resume at an acceptable pace”.

For this to be possible, the engineers are asking the government to intervene on several fronts:

1. extraordinary remodulation of tax rates;
2. increase in deductions for expenses related to professional activity;
3. one-off indemnities for orderly professionals;
4. simplification of access to subsidized credit;
5. raising the loan limit that can be requested by freelancers through the PM Guarantee Fund;
6. incentive measures in depth for freelancers like those that will soon be granted to SMEs;
7.  peremptory payment term for public administration debts;
8. elimination of withholding tax for those subject to electronic invoicing;
9. incentives for building renovations and making easily accessible buildings safe;
10. simplification of public procurement rules.