The post-crisis reconstruction of the Italian entrepreneurial system continues. In the first nine months of the year, the stock of companies registered with the Chambers of Commerce increased by 41.597 unit, 2.227 more than in the same period of 2015, for a growth rate of 0,7% in the nine months. The positive balance adds up to those of the first nine months of the two-year period 2014-2015 and brings the rate of turnover of the entrepreneurial base back to the values of 2007. Limiting the view to the balance of the June-September quarter (equal to +16.522 units), instead it emerges a slight slowdown in business growth compared to the same period of 2015 (+0,27 against +0,33%).
More than half of the January-September balance is the result of the contribution of just three sectors: tourism (+10.584 businesses), trade (+6.703) and business services (+6.405). In the same period, construction (-2.485 units since the beginning of the year), manufacturing (-1.657) and the mineral extraction sector (-34) remained negative. Compared to the same period of 2015, in the first nine months of this year the component of the balance determined by the Noon, which rose from 39,6 to 45,2% of the total.
Finally, the organizational profile chosen by those who start a business today is substantially stable: the most dynamic legal form is permanently that of company capital The growth rate (+2,9%, corresponding to 44.811 more units in the period) followed at a distance by the other forms, mainly cooperatives, which grew by 1,5% for a balance of 2.319 units. There was a slight decrease in sole proprietorships (-0,6%, equal to 6.452 fewer units).
"The growth of the entrepreneurial fabric in these first nine months of the year is a really important signal", underlines the president of Unioncamere, Ivan Lo Bello. “The 42 more companies bring the hands of stillbirth back to the rhythms of 2007 and represent the best result since 2012. Now more than ever it is necessary to help entrepreneurs to grow and be competitive, focusing on innovation, digitization and administrative simplification".
THE GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2016
The balance for the third quarter of the year shows a slight slowdown entrepreneurial dynamics compared to 2015, the result of the values contained both in the opening of new businesses (69.235) and in the closures of existing businesses (53.038). For both flows, this is the most modest result of the last ten years, signaling the probable persistence of uncertainties in facing the market adventure and the resilience of marginal companies in exiting it.
TERRITORIAL DYNAMICS
All twenty Italian regions closed the quarter with a positive balance. In absolute terms, Lazio (+2.881 more companies), Campania (+2.208) and Lombardy (+2.061) did best of all. In relative terms, the most sustained growth is recorded in Basilicata (+0,95%), Sardinia (+0,53%) and Lazio again (+0,45%).
At the level of large territorial districts, the summer of 2016 returned a South clearly protagonist of the increase in the number of businesses: with its 7.427 more units, in fact, it determined 45,9% of the entire quarterly balance, almost double compared to the share (25,2%) attributable to the regions of Central Italy.
SECTORAL DYNAMICS
Among the sectors, the most substantial increases in the respective entrepreneurial bases are recorded in the activities of accommodation and restaurant services (+3.870 units), trade (+3.459) and business services (+1.818). In relative terms, the most sustained dynamics are recorded for energy supply companies (+1,31% growth compared to the previous quarter), artistic, sports and entertainment activities (+1,03%), the aforementioned business services (+0,97%) and healthcare (+0,96%).
THE LEGAL FORMS
Reading the data from the point of view of the organizational forms of the enterprises highlights, in an incontrovertible way, the structural orientation of the entrepreneurial system to grow thanks to the expansion of more solid forms of enterprise of the past. Three quarters of the entire balance for the third quarter (74,5%) is in fact due to the share capital company component, which increased by 12.069 units for a quarterly growth rate of 0,77%. Sole proprietorships, which continue to represent over half of the stock of existing businesses (53,2%), instead contributed 29,7% to entrepreneurial growth.
