The presentation event of the report “Economic Observatory of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. Two decades of evolutions and changes of the socio -economic system of Reggio” was held this morning at the Chamber of Commerce.
The study, promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and carried out with the collaboration of the Study Center of the Chambers of Commerce, G. Tagliacarne, analyzes the dynamics of the main economic indicators in the last 20 years, with insights on the changes that occurred in the area, on the evolution of the main gaps, the factors of well -being and the elements of competitiveness, without neglecting the effects generated by important crisis situations, lasting that originated by Covid, of intensity never experienced by post -war.
“Starting from the 2000s The Chamber of Commerce was equipped with an economy observatorysaid President Antonino Sunset. A monitoring and dissemination system on the local production system and on all the main economic factors, with annual insights on some aspects, such as credit, production aggregations, infrastructures, internationalization, labor market, not leaving out essential elements for development, such as the theme of innovation, but also that of economic illegality that significantly alters the market rules. Precisely due to the institutional role of economic information in support of the development of the territory – continued the president of Tramontana – We wanted to set up our multi -year information heritage on the Reggina economy, to start a discussion with other institutions and with civil and social realities (Certainly the trade associations, which represent the instances of the companies), to reflect together on the challenges and opportunities that will see us engaged in the coming years “.”
“Starting from the data that emerged from the study, The President Tramontana continuedthe establishment of a discussion table that can contribute to the definition of strategies for local development is desirable, synergisticly, To give responses to companies and generate a multiplier effect for committed resources “.
After the initial greetings of the Suds President and Marco Oteri, head of the Prefect, the presentation of the data was curated by Gaetano Fausto EspositoGeneral Manager of the Study Center of the Chambers of Commerce G.TagliaCarne, which highlighted the dynamics that characterized the trends of the metropolitan territory of Reggio Calabria in the twenty years 2003 – 2023, a period characterized by important crises, from that of the 2008 credit at Covid, a recession of intensity never experienced by the post -war period, with projections also of the data of the year just passed. The result is a photograph with ups and downs that on the one hand highlights the resilience of the entrepreneurial system and the ability to respond to new challenges, such as that represented by the new international markets or by innovation and, on the other, the need for the public system to field strategies and policies capable of supporting investments, innovation, development of the supply chains, favoring production connections and aggregations, to significantly affect the economic development of the territory.
During the event, the deputy mayor of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, Paolo Brunetti who confirmed the commitment of the municipal administration to work synergisticly for local development and Giuseppe Zimbalatti, a magnificent rector of the Mediterranean University, who focused on the commitment that the Reggio University is carrying out to offer to the territory and to the entrepreneurial and qualified figures system, consistent with the needs of the companies, intervened. capable of contributing to making the economy Reggina more productive.
The complete report and a synthesis of the data are available on the website of the Chamber of Commerce https://www.rc.camcom.gov.it/utola-dellimpresa-e-donsumatore/informazione- Economica-e-statistica/pubblicazioni-2025
Below are the main results that emerged from the study.
The main results
Starting from the 2000s, the entrepreneurial system, both nationally and local level, has started processes of adjustment with respect to the needs of the market in terms of employees, but also of increasingly structured organizational models in capital companies. Factors that, if on the one hand they consolidated the entrepreneurial system, on the other have led to a reduction in the propensity for individual and familiar entrepreneurship, especially for the initiatives of self -employment, characterized by modest capitalization and low content of qualifying factors.
Reggina entrepreneurship tells us the data, it was more resilient: in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria, starting from 2013, when the entrepreneurial number has flawed itself on a national basis instead grew up in Reggio Calabria.
The structure of the Reggio Companies has become more solid (the share of capital companies has tripled, attesting to 15%) and capable of responding to the challenges of sustainability and innovation: the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria is fourth in Italy for the share of companies that reduce the environmental impact of its activities and is 21-examined for the share of companies that invest in innovation projects.
The capacity of the Reggio Calabria companies is also encouraging to open up to international markets, with export values tripled in the twenty years, data clearly higher than those of the rest of the South and the country. However, a strong gap remains in the ratio between exports and added value (4.2% Reggio Calabria, 32.8% national, 16% southern).
It is also interesting to highlight the ability of the Reggio entrepreneurial system to respond to the challenges of sustainability and innovation: the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria is fourth in Italy for the share of companies that reduce the environmental impact of its activities and is 21-Exima per share of companies that invest in innovation projects.
Instead, moving on to a sectoral analysis of the entrepreneurial system, the data are not as encouraging; In fact, there is a contraction of the manufacturing system in favor of the service system. However, the numerous basic services, which cannot significantly affect the economic development of the territory, have grown above all.
A further aspect that arouses attention is linked to the hidden entrepreneurial potential; From our business register, in fact, it is also possible to understand that the reggini that make business in other territories are over 43%, subtracting important resources from the production fabric of the metropolitan city.
The dynamics on the added value produced also confirm this trend.
The trend of added value albeit positive, highlights a growth of wealth produced lower than recorded in the rest of the country: made equal to 100 its value in 2003, the added value of Reggio increases by 30.2 points in the twenty years until 2023, below 51.4 national points, of the 40.9 southern but even below 34.1 points of the Calabria Region.
In Reggio Calabria, the added value is produced for about 76% in the coastal municipalities.
The disaggregated analysis by sector highlights that also in terms of added value to grow, the not very innovative services are growing and with limited content of skills that pass, in terms of incidence on the total, from 27.8%to 30.4%, against a national average of 18.8%.
The pro-capita added value grows, however reduced to the rest of the country; If in 2003 the metropolitan city was located at 88or placed among the 103 Italian provinces, in 2023 this ranking drops to 97or place.
The report also highlights some long -term sectoral dynamics. Observing how the trade sector has changed, an increase in the sales surfaces dragged mostly by small family -run commercial businesses, rather than, as happened elsewhere, through the expansion of the GDO emerges. The proliferation of small family -run businesses explains a growth of lower -lower employees to the regional and southern average.
The data on the Agricultural sector Reggio, (census data 2000, 2010 and 2020), highlight a profound restructuring. Companies and agricultural surfaces decrease, but in terms of average corporate dimension there is a tendency to grow, as a physiological thrust towards greater efficiency and possibility of mechanization of production activities, which only a wider surface can guarantee.
In particular, the Sau per company grows from 2.4 to 4.1 hectares, a fact that, however, remains incomparable with the 11 national hectares, and which draws an agricultural panorama still dominated by a parcelization in micro -company (also linked to the orography of the territory), with all the implications that this character can have in terms of productivity. Even the South, with its 9.1 average hectares per company, remains superior to the Reggio data.
Tourism, which could represent a development flywheel for the local economy, also presents fluctuating results. It is one of the sectors that grows more lively in terms of businesses and employees, but despite this, the dynamics of total arrivals (Italian and foreign) has not yet allowed to completely recover the 2008 arrivals levels and Pre Covid, unlike what is recorded in the rest of the country.
One last figure on which to attract attention is that linked to demographic dynamics. From the analysis presented, it emerges that the population of the province of Reggio Calabria is down from 2003 to today, with an acceleration in the period 2013-2023; Unfortunately, the decline also concerns the band of young people. In other words, a peculiarity of our territory is running out over the years, which consisted in being equipped with a relatively young population, approaching the average Italian registry structure.