ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The employment and production growth of foreign control companies living in Italy continues, while the presence of Italian overseas groups is consolidated and expanded. This is what emerges from the Istat report on the “Structure and Competitiveness of multinational companies” reported to the year 2024.
In 2024 foreign control companies operating on the national territory were 19.321 (+2.6% compared to 2023), employing more than 1,9 million employees (+3.8%) and generate almost 196 billion euros of added value, marking an increase of 4.1%. The increase in value added derives entirely from the service sector (+6.7%), due to a slight decline in industry in the strict sense (-0.7%).
The total turnover of foreign subsidiaries is 871 billion euros, down 1.8%. While representing just 0.4% of companies resident in Italy, foreign subsidiaries focus 10.1% of total employment, 17.8% of added value and 41.2% of national expenditure in intra-muros research and development, with a total expenditure exceeding 7 billion euros (+10.7% compared to the previous year). The increase in research expenditure was mainly driven by the industrial sector (+14%), in the face of a lower growth in services (+2.6%).
There is also a clear gap in the apparent productivity of work, equal to 102,8 thousand euros per employee in foreign-controlled enterprises against 64,9 thousand euros found in non- multinational enterprises. In terms of geographical origin, the European Union is the main basin, receiving 57.7% of foreign companies resident. In the ranking for number of employees there is the historical surprise of France, which conquers the first position with 2,662 enterprises and more than 366 thousand employed (equal to 17.6% of turnover and 18.8% of the total added value of foreign companies), exceeding the United States that count 2,564 enterprises and almost 363 thousand employees.
However, the USA maintains the highest share of both value added (22.2%) and expenditure in Research and Development (24.0%). The third place is Germany, with 2,739 companies and more than 241 thousand employees. On the front of trade with foreign countries, foreign multinationals activate 35.4% of national exports of goods for almost 200 billion euros (-1.7%) and 49.3% of imports for almost 220 billion (-3.7%).
The incidence of foreign control reaches the highest peaks in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products (60.2% of export and 71.3% of import) and in motor vehicles (52.9% and 69.5%). In the import of foreign multinationals, the use of intra-group trade is broadly greater than 68.8%.
With regard to active internationalisation, national control groups expand their network abroad, reaching 26.935 subsidiaries (+6.6%) located in 175 countries, where they employ 1,79 million employees (+4.4%) and generate a turnover of 576 billion euros (+2.9%).
Over-border activities total 45.5% of employees and 36.9% of the total turnover of Italian multinationals. For about three Italian multinationals out of four (75.7% in industry and 74.4% in services) the main motivation for new investments abroad is access to new markets, while the search for a lower cost of work is less than one in five industrial group (19.7%).
The most widespread mode of foreign collaboration remains that of trade agreements, indicated by 61.0% of enterprises.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
