Table of Contents:
Growth in turnover and exports in the South
In recent years, the South has shown surprising economic dynamism, with a growth in the turnover of medium-sized enterprises of 2.7% in 2023. This figure contrasts with the 3.6% drop recorded by companies in the Center-North. Exports also followed a positive trend, with an increase of 4.4%, while other production companies saw a decrease of 2.1%.
These results are the result of constant commitment and innovative strategies implemented by southern companies
.
The challenges of bureaucracy and labor
However, there is no shortage of critical issues. Excessive bureaucracy represents a significant obstacle to the growth of medium-sized enterprises in the South, slowing down decision-making processes and daily operations. In addition, the difficulty in finding suitable professional profiles is a growing problem: more than 80% of southern companies have reported difficulties in this area, a much higher percentage than 42.8%% of companies in the Center-North. To face this challenge, 33.3% of medium-sized enterprises plan to hire foreign workers in the next three years, due to the unavailability of Italian labor and the shortage of
young people.
Investments in innovation and sustainability
Despite the difficulties, medium-sized enterprises in the South are investing in innovation. 87.3% of companies have already invested or plan to do so in 4.0 technologies, exceeding the Centre-North average. Investments are mainly focused on the digitalization of processes, with 78.9% of companies that have already taken this path. In addition, 41.3% of southern companies plan to adopt artificial intelligence in the next three years, highlighting a strong interest
in new technologies.
The role of female human capital
Another crucial aspect concerns female human capital. In companies in the South, women represent only 12.4% of the workforce, with a managerial presence reduced to 3%%. These figures are significantly lower than the Mid-Caps of the Center-North, where the percentages rise to 27.3%% for the female workforce and 9.7%% for managerial roles. It is essential to promote greater inclusion of women in the world of work to fully exploit the potential of southern businesses
.
Future prospects and opportunities
Looking to the future, forecasts for 2024 indicate a further 2% increase in both turnover and exports for southern companies. This optimism is supported by confidence in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which almost 50% of companies consider an opportunity for economic growth. However, there remains a strong concern regarding excessive bureaucracy and implementation difficulties, which could limit the concrete benefits of the Plan
.
