Le craft businesses? Now a heritage of small towns. Not by chance Nuoro, Cuneo e Fermo represent the podium of the localities with the largest number of artisan businesses. In Italy represent the 21,5% of the total of active businesses, but their weight varies from territory to territory. This is confirmed by a survey by Cna, on data Istat.
Therefore the province with the highest incidence of artisan businesses is Nuoro, Where almost one in three businesses, 31,7%, is registered in the Crafts Register. They follow Cuneo with the 31,5%, Fermo with the 31,3%, Asti with 31,1% e Reggio Emilia With 30,7%. Finding a craftsman in large cities, however, becomes more difficult. Large metropolitan areas rank last: Naples with the 10,3%, Rome with the 12,2%, Caserta with 12,8% e Milan with 15%.
Artisan businesses in Italy: a survey by the CNA
And even if we look at the number of employees, the situation certifies that artisanal activity is the scaffolding of the local production system, A network of micro and small businesses specializing in manufacturing, services, contract manufacturing, and quality production. While artisanal businesses account for 13,4% of the total national workforce, Prato leads the ranking with 31,6%, ahead of Fermo, Nuoro, Macerata, and Arezzo. Milan, with 4,7%, Rome with 5,1%, and Naples with 6,5%, also lag behind.
While on the one hand craftsmanship undoubtedly continues to be an essential component of the economy and identity of the territories, on the other hand the Cna survey highlights a progressive weakeningBetween 2014 and 2023, the share of artisanal businesses in the total decreased by 3,9 percentage points at the national level. The most significant reduction was recorded in Fermo, with eight points less, followed by Macerata, Chieti and RietiIn terms of employees, the national average decline is 3,5 percentage points. Fermo also recorded the most significant decline, while Prato was the only province to buck the trend, with a growth of 2,2 percentage points.
