The dataset collects data on employees and local units of manufacturing companies from 1937 to 2021. The temporal coverage allows observation, at regional and provincial levels, of the evolution of geographical distribution and intensity of industrialization in Italy over more than eight decades.
The dataset is organized into two main sections.
- The first includes regional data for census years 1951–2011, drawn from the homogeneous ISTAT (1998) and Vitali (1970) series that maintain constant the observation field of the 1951 census. These series have been updated and extended until 2011 to enable consistent comparisons over time.
- The second includes provincial data, available for census years 1937–2021, drawn from ISTAT's Industry and Services Censuses. The local units of companies have been aggregated into four size classes: micro (10 employees); small (10-49 employees); medium (50-100 employees); large (100+ employees). These aggregations do not correspond to currently used classifications, because the distribution by employee classes differs between censuses. However, the adopted classes ensure a homogeneous temporal distribution and are sufficiently representative for analyzing the dimensional structure of manufacturing in the long term.
It should be emphasized that, over time, census methodologies have undergone some modifications, particularly in the classifications of economic activities, introduced to incorporate changes in productive structure and adjustments to international standards (ISIC, NACE). Among the main changes:
- repair and maintenance activities for motor vehicles and consumer goods, considered manufacturing until 1971, are subsequently reclassified among services;
- the manufacture of petroleum products is included in manufacturing industry, except in 1981, when it falls under extractive industry;
- bakeries with retail sales are classified in commerce until 1981, from 1991 in the food industry;
- film production and photographic studios are moved from manufacturing to services in the 1991 classification.
These variations cause temporal comparability problems in provincial historical series by size classes (section two). However, such differences do not compromise the overall comparability of medium and large manufacturing companies (except for the petroleum industry which has been taken into account), which represent the most stable part of the observation field.
The dataset was created within the framework of the PRIN 2022 project – The assessment of regional development policies in Italy through a new database (1950s–2000s). It provides a homogeneous, documented, and immediately usable information base, useful for empirical analyses on economic geography, industrial transformations, and territorial development gaps. Its structure facilitates integration with other statistical sources and enables the elaboration of spatial and temporal indicators at provincial and regional levels.
For citation of the data use:
"Employment in Manufacturing Industry in Italy (1937–2021)", edited by V. Daniele, R. Ghezzi, F. Samà, created based on "ISTAT" data for PRIN 2022, The assessment of regional development policies in Italy through a new database (1950s–2000s), https://datimezzogiorno.svimez.it