Housing

The construction sector has been a salient feature of the Emilia-Romagna economy now for decades. The presence in the territory of some of the largest Italian construction companies has stimulated the demand for materials and sparked off an effect of specialisation, which has contributed to the birth of sectors such as ceramics, now a worldwide leader.

In fact, the region, and in particular the industrial district between Scandiano (Reggio Emilia) and Sassuolo (Modena), supplies 80% of the Italian ceramics production, six hundred million square metres of products, 71% of those destined for the foreign market. There are 240 companies in this district, with an annual turnover of over 5 billion euro.

As well as the ceramics district, acting as a guide for innovation thanks also to the activities of the companies producing technologies, Emilia-Romagna is also host to a series of important productions, ranging from materials for construction and door and window frames, earth moving machinery, through to cranes and lifting equipment.

Also worth noting is the production of woodworking machinery: the centres of Carpi (Modena) and Rimini alone reach a turnover that is 33% of the national total. This is an essential sector for the furnishing industry, made up of companies spread throughout the entire regional territory, of small and very small dimensions, alongside national and international leaders.

The mainstays of excellence in this sector lie in the production of upholstered furniture and lounge furniture, in the Forlì area (with 6 thousand employed and a turnover of 300 million euro), in the kitchen centres between Parma and Reggio Emilia, and in the bedroom furniture production in the province of Parma,

Not including those employed in the furniture sector, the construction sector employs over 260 thousand, covering over 17% of the entire regional employment.

Leaving aside the real estate market, almost 250,000 people work in the housing sector, around 16% of total employment for the region.

The housing supply and value chain in Emilia-Romagna - Employees - (Istat-Asia, 2006)