TURIN. The recovery cools but holds. The quarterly economic survey carried out by the Unione Industriali Torino and Confindustria Piemonte highlights the effort made by companies to recover the shock of 2020 and shows some uncertainty for next year, especially looking at the pandemic situation in the rest of the world and at the increase in materials prime and energy. However, a climate of optimism prevails, driven by all positive indicators. By the beginning of 2022, 26% of Piedmontese companies expect an increase in production, compared to 10% who expect a decrease: the balance, equal to +15.8 percentage points, decreases by 5 points compared to September. A similar trend for orders, with a balance of 14.9% and a decrease of about 6 points compared to the last survey. Exports dropped, with an optimistic-pessimistic balance of 1.2% (-6.6 points), which was affected by the new anti-Covid restrictions put in place in some countries. A good trend for investments, thanks to the resources made available by the NRP: almost 30% of the companies with a certain commitment spending programs. Recourse to layoffs affects 10% of companies, down by 2.2 percentage points compared to September. The utilization rate of plants and resources was stable, returning to the long-term average values. Positive indications, albeit with different nuances, come both from medium-large enterprises (over 50 employees) and from smaller ones (under 50 employees).
«This situation – comments the president of Confindustria Piemonte, Marco Gay – gives back a region that today looks to the future with optimism. And the green sign in all the territories of Piedmont was not taken for granted. But we cannot be satisfied. The challenge against Covid will not be won until we reduce the strong inequalities it has generated “. Among the uncertainties weighs above all the cost of raw materials and energy which is eroding the profitability of companies. Furthermore, there is a strong uncertainty about exports that pushes companies to be cautious about orders that could arrive from abroad in the next three months.
The president of the Industrialists Union, Giorgio Marsiaj, also underlines the importance of the automotive sector for the territory and the need to manage the transformation of the sector. «In February 2019 we had called the“ Table for the car ”right here with us, but from that moment all traces have been lost. It means that the public-private partnership did not work. It is not possible that in Italy it has not yet been understood that this is a sector that creates wealth for all », Marsiaj points out. And he adds: “We need special attention, we need an industrial policy that doesn’t exist”
Before presenting the economic survey, the entrepreneurs observed a minute of silence for the victims of via Genova. The collapse of the crane which caused the death of three workers is “an unacceptable accident – said Marsiaj – safety is a priority”. –
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