Sardinian artisans are struggling due to a shortage of qualified personnel. According to data analyzed by the Research Office of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna , small and medium-sized businesses planned to hire 15,290 workers but were only able to find 6,840 . This gap has led to a resulting loss of revenue, resulting in losses of €206 million . The average age of employees in Sardinian businesses is also rising, from 38 in 2008 to 43 today.

"Employment is growing in Sardinia's artisan businesses, but the shortage of suitable professionals is also increasing," explains Giacomo Meloni, President of Confartigianato Sardegna. "Companies are addressing the problem with specific solutions. Unfortunately, this isn't enough; institutions also need to do their part by building a modern training system capable of meeting companies' new professional needs."

The delay in finding qualified personnel generates enormous costs. In the old province of Cagliari , companies are burdened with over €107 million in contractual obligations. Entrepreneurs of micro and small businesses have identified several causes for these difficulties: inadequate educational programs, competition from more established businesses, and a widespread prejudice against small businesses.

Some small businesses have adopted targeted measures to attract, or in some cases retain, workers. Among the most common are wage increases and flexible working hours . In other cases, however, companies have also proposed greater autonomy at work, involvement in company decisions, access to company benefits, and incentives for self-training and professional growth, including external ones.

(Unioneonline/ns)