Data released by Italian trade organization Unioncamere/InfoCamere indicates that migrant workers' preferences surrounding where and what sector they work in vary by nationality.

The provinces of Viterbo, Turin and Cremona for Romanian citizens, and Prato, Fermo and Florence for Chinese citizens show the highest share of foreign business owners.

A total of 34% of foreign businesses in Italy belong to them, according to the data.

Entrepreneurs from Morocco, Romania, and China have clear sector preferences as well. This is why some Moroccan business owners are found more frequently in commerce sectors while Romanians prefer the construction sector.

Moroccans and Romanians show preferences for transport services, stocking and rental while the Chinese operate primarily in the manufacturing, recreational and entertainment sectors.

Unioncamere/InfoCamere collected this data with Futurae, the Migrant Business Program, promoted by the Ministry of Labor.

"The contribution and benefit to the Italian economy from foreign business are even more appreciated and necessary given the demography in our country, a problem for which there is no solution in the short-term," Unioncamere head Andrea Prete said.

A total of 11% of foreign businesses are registered in Italy

At the end of 2023, some 660,000 foreign businesses were registered at the Registry of Companies of the Chamber of Commerce. That's around 11% of Italian companies.

This figure is up 2% from the year prior, and 7% from 2019.

Between January and December 2023, some 64,000 companies were registered in Italy, while around 36,000 were terminated, generating a positive outcome of some 27,000 units.