Italy: Migrant-run businesses account for 8.2 percent of total in Cuneo

Rome: The northern Italian province of Cuneo is home to 5,301 migrant-run businesses — 8.2 percent of the total — up by over 1,000 units compared to the 3,984 recorded a decade ago, according to a new report published by the local Chamber of Commerce.

A reported 5,301 companies are run by foreigners in Italy’s northern province of Cuneo, 8.2 percent of the total, up from the 3,984 registered a decade ago, according to a report released by the Chamber of Commerce which examines the 2015-2024 period.

Indeed the study found that only one in 17 companies were run by a foreigner in 2015 in the largest province of the Piedmont region. And in another surprising result, the report found that businesswomen ran 23.5 percent of foreign-led companies (1,246 compared to 944 in 2015) — a higher percentage compared to the average of Italian-led companies.

The report, drafted by the department of promotion, research and communication at the Chamber of Commerce, analyzed the activity of foreign-born entrepreneurs, excluding second-generation immigrants, regardless of whether they were Italian citizens.

The rate was also twice as high in terms of firms led by young entrepreneurs: Despite a small decrease (from 1,104 to 1,071, down from the 27.7 percent of a decade ago), 20.2 percent were led by foreigners compared to the 9.1 percent registered among Italian natives.

The number of employees also grew significantly: with a 33.3 percent rise in foreign-led businesses between 2015 and 2024, immigrant workers increased by 53.1 percent. Ten years ago, foreign-led companies employed on average 1.8 people compared to 2.1 today.

In terms of different sectors and companies, trends did not differ significantly with respect to Italian-run businesses: in particular, corporations led by foreigners grew by 258 percent compared to a 23.8 percent increase of individual companies.

Over half of companies managed by immigrants , or 50.9 percent compared to 48.3 percent ten years ago, are active in the craft sector: plumbers, painters and blacksmiths are increasingly Albanian and Moroccan, for example.

And the percentage of foreign-led craft businesses is twice as high compared to those owned by Italians.

Another surprising finding of the study was that 75.2 percent of foreign entrepreneurs hailed from a country outside the European Union. Compared to 2015, meanwhile, no major changes were recorded in terms of the country of origin of foreign entrepreneurs, apart from Brazil exiting the top 10 nationalities and Egypt entering in ninth position.

The top ten countries of origin of foreign entrepreneurs in the province of Cuneo, registered in 2024, were Albania, Romania, Morocco, China, France, Macedonia, Switzerland, Germany, Egypt and Argentina.