In Sardinia, there are nearly 26,000 undocumented self-employed workers. Working entirely illegally or bordering on the rules, they undermine the thousands of regular businesses, especially artisans, operating on the island, severely impacting the regional economy. The list of professions under attack is long: painters and house painters, beauticians, bricklayers, appliance repairmen, plumbers, taxi drivers, but also mechanics, body repairers, photographers, electricians, gardeners, movers, and videographers.
The survey on "Crimes affecting business activity" was conducted by the Research Office of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, which reprocessed the 2023 ISTAT data.
The national ranking, which analyzed absolute data, is led by Lombardy with 104,500 "ghosts," followed by Campania with 96,600, and Lazio with 90,600. In total, there are an estimated 600,000 illegal and undocumented workers in Italy.
According to the analysis, construction companies are the ones most under attack by these "ghost figures"; 91.6% of companies in the sector suffer unfair competition from painters, decorators, and bricklayers. In second place is the wellness sector, namely hairdressers, beauticians, and nail technicians, with 87.6%. Personal and household goods repair services come in third at 83.6%. Plumbing follows (79.1%), followed by passenger transport/taxi drivers (78.5%), vehicle maintenance (71.5%), photographers (71.2%), and electricians (69.9%).
Illegal practices in the sector, in addition to costing millions of euros to social security and general taxation, are an irregular phenomenon that creates unfair competition for those operating with all the necessary permits and certifications.
"The phenomenon of illegal workers in the artisan sector represents a threat to both honest workers and consumers," says Giacomo Meloni, President of Confartigianato Sardegna. "The presence of phantom operators not only economically damages businesses that comply with regulations, but ." "As an Association, we want and must protect legal artisans, those who are hit twice: in their income and as honest taxpayers," Meloni continues. "The phenomenon continues to harm all businesses and citizens who pay taxes and respect the law. In addition to taxes and bureaucracy," the President continues, " . Illegal activity in this sector is not only damaging to legal businesses that operate legally and openly, but above all, an insult to customers."
