The Emilian industry restarts, after a whole year of dealing with the effects of the pandemic, and expects growth of 7% this year, after -11% in 2020. Driven by automatic machines, biomedical, ceramic, i key districts of the productive fabric between Modena, Bologna and Ferrara represented by Confindustria Emilia. Which has just presented the results of the fifth Observatory on the impact of Covid-19 for businesses (the survey gives voice to 713 associated companies, 84% manufacturing, representing almost 55 thousand employees and 23 billion euros in turnover) : the data confirm an improvement in the situation compared to the first questionnaire distributed in March 2020, when 94% of the sample expected a 2020 decline (in the final balance the percentage drops to 63%) and when four out of five entrepreneurs reported heavy decreases in orders ( share now down to 35%).
The new emergency wave at the beginning of the year, however, leads the industrialists of the Via Emilia to foresee greater use of social safety nets (28% will use Cig between now and June) and smart working (56% of companies) “We have sectors that are very at risk and that it is important to continue to support, but there are others who must find a pseudo-normality and must have more autonomy also in terms of layoffs ”, explains the president of Confindustria Emilia Valter Caiumi, presenting the Observatory.
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About a year after the freezing of layoffs, «the time has come to start managing some exceptions – he adds – the moment is difficult for everyone but we must start thinking about a progressive opening to pseudo-autonomy businesses. I believe that the logic of “all closed or all open” does not work in any matter ». The pandemic has also given a boost to digital commerce: 21.7% of companies, particularly in the fashion and pharmaceutical sectors, have invested to develop or enhance e-commerce platforms. On the safety front, “the organizational model has held up – claims Caiumi – and companies are no longer seen as places at risk of contagion but as structures where people work in safety”. In fact, 37% of the sample carried out screening campaigns on workers with very high membership percentages (73%) and not without costs for the company coffers: the tests on Covid infections accounted for 5% of personnel costs.