Productivity and innovation for districts’ race beyond pre-Covid

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Valenza goldsmith. And then agricultural machinery from Emilia-Romagna, the wines of Brescia, the rubber of Sebino Bergamasco. In Intesa Sanpaolo’s 2023 analysis they are the best districts in Italy for performance, growth and profitability.

Data that stands out within a framework that is still on average positive, despite everything. In fact, the analysis of the financial statements of almost 21 thousand companies highlights a small increase in turnover at current values ​​in 2023 (+0.8%), after the leap recorded in the two-year period 2021-22. Which means that compared to pre-Covid levels the system finds itself with a 20% higher level of sales. Positive performance and superior to that of non-district companies, with results at the top of Europe for 14 of the 19 sectors analysed.

All sectors show higher turnover values ​​than those of 2019 although, in particular, the districts specialized in mechanics and agri-food stand out, which also recorded good growth in turnover in 2023, thanks to the performances obtained on international markets (+7.9% and +4.5% export growth respectively).

In 2023, district exports remained substantially stable, confirming the record levels reached in 2022 when for the first time the quota of 150 billion euros exported was exceeded. Stability achieved by overcoming the weakness of the German market and seizing the growth opportunities present in other markets, such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and China.

«The data – explains the chief economist of Intesa Sanpaolo Gregorio De Felice – highlight a significant rise in productivity as well as higher innovation and patent rates compared to non-district areas. And as can be seen from the analyses, there is a direct relationship between revenue growth and innovation rates, environmental and quality certifications. If the progress of 2023 and 2024 in terms of exports seems limited, we must take into account a moment of limited growth for the entire international trade, within which the Italian system is performing well”.