#SoseXpress - Press Review 17th/23rd October

I am confident that the entire national community will show, once again, the responsibility, the diligence, the fortitude,e and the determination we need to overcome the critical challenge we are experiencing.

The President of the Council, Giuseppe Conte, used these words during his speech to the Senate of the Republic about the measures adopted by the Government through the new Prime Ministerial Decree concerning the pandemic emergency.

The Debate of Ideas

 

The role of the State and the Public Administration at the center of the public debate.

During the XXII European Conference of the “Rodolfo Debenedetti” Foundation, held on 17th October, education, healthcare, government services were at the center of the debate. The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted critical aspects of the public sector. Some central themes were the public sector’s size and composition in the OECD Countries, some crucial issues concerning the labor market and public employment, and some substantial differences among private and public employees. 

Studies, researches, and numbers

 

SAIE Observatory: construction sector between light and shadow.

The lockdown has put severe pressure on the construction industry, but the enterprises are working to build a stable and lasting recovery. The data provided by the SAIE Observatory highlight this trend. 34% of enterprises have already returned to normality, and 28% plan to do so within six months. Significant data, considering the pandemic’s negative impact on the performance of 86% of enterprises. 62% of the firms registered decreasing revenues in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period of the preceding year. Here the data.

 

ISTAT: data on the production in the construction sector.

In August 2020, estimates for the seasonally adjusted index of construction output increased by 12.9%, confirming the growth started in May since record falls during the lockdown. In the quarter June-August 2020, the seasonally adjusted production index in construction was up 70.8% compared with the previous three months. 

 

Inps: until July 2020 2,919,000 new jobs, - 38%.

In the first seven months of 20202, new jobs in the private sector amounted to 2,919,000. Compared to the same period of 2019, the decrease (- 38%) was significant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the following restraints (the obligation to close for non-essential activities), and the general drop in production and consumption. 

 

The Bank of Italy: the labor market dynamics in the Summer months.

Among other publications, the Bank of Italy issued the note “Labor market dynamics during the summer months: first evidence by Regions. According to compulsory communications data presented by Piedmont, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Tuscany, and Sardinia, employment has partially recovered during the summer months, despite some differences among regions. 

 

Istat: enterprise groups’ economic accounts better than independent enterprises.

In 2018 industrial and service enterprises generated a value-added equal to 806 billion, a 3,4% increase compared to 2017. In 2018 the value-added increased by 2,8% in industry and 4,1% in services compared with 2017. Enterprise groups generate over half of the value-added (55,9%). The value-added per worker in the enterprises belonging to groups amounts to over 77 thousand euro compared to the 32 thousand generated by independent firms.

 

Confcommercio: for tourism, catering and leisure sectors still too many uncertainties. 

A significant recovery characterized the third quarter of the year (+10,6% compared to the second quarter of the year). However, the results did not meet the forecasts of the Update Note of the Def (+13,6%), and the quarter begins with a renewed and deep uncertainty due to the infection dynamic. Despite the improvement registered in August, September is still in a difficult phase.

The Voice of stakeholders

 

Covid price for labor: the analysis by Labor consultants.

The survey “Crisis, health emergency and employment in SMEs” conducted by Labor Consultants revealed that in 2020 SMEs’ employees amount to 1 billion. The compliance with health standards to face the Covid-19 emergency has represented a considerable effort for many small and medium enterprises to reorganize spaces, logistics, procedures, and work. According to data, 59% of Labor Consultants think enterprises have today adopted prevention measures (prevention tools, workplace sanitization, etc.), but cannot manage new emergencies. The heavy balance that emerged from the survey confirms that small and medium enterprises’ staff could decrease by 10%. 

 

Federmeccanica: production decreases by 19,8%.

In the first eight months of 2020, production in the engineering industry decreased by 19,8%. In the first seven months of this year exports also registered a drop of 16,7% compared to last year. These results emerged in the survey conducted by Federmeccanica on the Engineering Industry.

The production in Italy has decreased as a whole by 15,4% compared to the same period of the preceding year. In comparison, engineering enterprises that suffered lockdown heavily in the same period (January-August 2020) registered an average reduction of 19,8%. 

 

80 thousand young enterprises less than five years ago: the data by Unioncamere.

Today Italian under-35 people’s enterprises amount to half a million. It is a considerable number, equal to 8,7% of the entire national production system, even if it has decreased by 80 thousand units compared to 5 years ago. This information emerged during the Unioncamere Assembly of 21st October 2020. 

 

Confartigianato: the fashion industry recovers with orders increasing by 12,9%.

Significant investments drive recovery. Micro and small enterprises invest 1,1 billion euro, and 63% are “green” interventions. The sector includes 55 micro and small enterprises (textile, apparel, and leather), employing 312 thousand workers. Thirty-six thousand craft firms employ 158 thousand workers, one third (34,3%) of fashion workers. Italy ranks first in the European Union regarding employment in this sector. A study by Confartigianato highlights that in the micro and small enterprises of the fashion district, including Tuscany, Marche, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, and Lombardy, employment is 25,6% higher than employment in similar enterprises in Spain, Germany, and France taken together. 

Innovation

 

Immuni, more than 9,1 million downloads.

More than 9 million downloads communicated Immuni, the contact-tracing App, through Twitter. It also highlighted that on 19th October in Europe Immuni is the first contact-tracing App interoperable with the corresponding In Germany and Ireland. Here the post.

 

Cybersecurity: Italy starts the shield against web attacks.

Decree No. 1 of the President of the Council, Giuseppe Conte, was published on the Official Gazette No. 261 of 21st October. It includes measures concerning national cybersecurity management that will enter into force on 5th November. The Decree defines the operators interested in the state cybersecurity, namely the unified digital defense system established by the Government and managed by a team of the Security Intelligence Department (DIS). Here the Decree.

 

Two Digital Transformation initiatives for enterprises supported by CdP.

Cassa depositi e prestiti launches two new accelerators for high-potential enterprises: Piattaforma Imprese and Digital Xcelerator, aiming to support the human capital through strategies, management development, innovation, and digital transformation.

 

What does it mean to adopt 5G? A reflection on the materialization of the Internet.

The first profoundly innovative characteristic of 5G is not only the increased bandwidth but also the spread use of wireless technologies to connect “objects” and the birth of IOT (Internet of Things), practically “materialized” Internet. But who will be the protagonists of this revolution? Who will this infrastructural competition involve? 

Local Authorities

 

The ANCI-IFEL initiative monitoring Municipalities decreased revenues continues in 2021.

The Local Finance Committee of ANCI met last 20th October through videoconference to take stock of Municipalities' financial situation and confirmed its work for 2021 to monitor the decreased revenues. Municipalities will suffer a significant reduction in Irpef (Personal Income Taxes) and tourism revenues. The Committee proposed to strengthen immediately the fund preventing the collapse through funds supporting local authorities. The Committee also discussed the relaunch of investments considering the Recovery Fund resources. 

 

2020 Ca' Foscari Report on municipalities presented on 23rd October by videoconference.

The report highlights many Municipalities' critical issues above all in the South. The book of Marcello Degni, judge from the Court of Auditors and Professor at Ca' Foscari University in Venezia, presents the results of a research project coordinated by the Ca' Foscari Governance & Social Innovation Department, headed by Professor Stefano Campostrini of the Economics Department. 

The World of MEF

 

Minister Gualtieri: trust in the results of 2021.

During an interview with “Il Sole 24 ore” the Minister of Economy and Finance, Roberto Gualtieri, provides a balance of the works to prepare the budgetary plan draft. “If we contain the Covid-19 infection through selective measures,” the Minister explained,” I am confident that the results of 2020-2021 are not far from our expectations and, as I hope, will get better in 2021. 

 

Open data: the State General Accounting Department provides the data on the payments in the Government budget for the first nine months of 2020.

The payments, from 1st January to 30th September, amounted to 610,33 billion euro and registered an increase of 10,6% compared to the same months of the preceding year. The publication of the data by the State General Accounting Department is an initiative to promote transparency toward citizens about the use of public resources. 

 

Stop to the notices of payment until 31st December: the clarifications by the Revenue Agency.

The Law Decree No. 129/2020 published in the Official Gazette No. 260 of 20th October 2020 provides for the suspension of the collection activities until 31st December 2020. This is one of the more significant measures adopted to support citizens and enterprises in the critical epidemiological situation caused by Covid-19.