In the Southern regions, craft employment amounts to 567 thousand workers and is more than double (+121.2%) compared to that of Italian multinational groups. In particular, with over 64 thousand artisan workers, Sardinia has almost triple the employment of Italian corporations, and a percentage gap of 190.6%. In the Italian ranking on the predominance of artisan workers compared to large groups, the island is second while in first place is Calabria with +230%. This is the picture that emerges from the 'Key data of artisan culture' dossier, developed by the Research Office of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, based on the latest Istat data.
“There is a combination of structural, cultural and regulatory factors that contributes to the dominance of Sardinian artisan businesses compared to the multinational system”, they explain. Giacomo Meloni And Daniele Serra, respectively president and secretary of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna. «Small companies tend to be more flexible than large multinational companies, adapting to changing market conditions and customer needs, remaining competitive even in uncertain economic contexts».
“The Sardinian MPIs oversee sectors of great importance for the Sardinian economy, among which we remember those of fashion, food, tourist and personal services, and the transport of goods and people”, highlights Meloni. “A widespread presence of businesses is based on a strong entrepreneurial culture, with a higher propensity for independent work than the European average”.
“Small businesses make up for the lack of economies of scale through business networks”, underlines Serra, “by increasing their competitiveness through collaboration with other businesses. These networks favor the development of MMEs, creating synergies that can be difficult for multinationals to replicate The spread of artisan businesses in the South contrasts with an obsolete development model centered on the establishment of large, globally integrated businesses.”
