In the VAT population, half of the newcomers are under 35. Over-50s are growing

There are more than 4 million VAT numbers in our country. The latest figure, for 2023, which can be found on the Mef website, in the section on tax returns, is 4,174,782. Of these, the highest percentage, over 22 per cent, refers to commerce, followed by construction and scientific and technical professional activities, which are close to 12 per cent. According to the Mef's dedicated Observatory, 187,300 new VAT numbers were opened in the first quarter of this year, a slight increase (+0.7%) compared to the same period in 2024. Last year, a total of 498,361 VAT numbers were opened, an increase of 1.3% compared to 2023. Looking at the distribution by legal nature, 67.8% of the new openings relate to natural persons, 24.5% to corporations, 3.2% to partnerships and 4.5% to non-residents and other legal forms. New openings continue to remain below 500,000, which is lower than before Covid, when new openings were far higher. Almost half of them are concentrated in the North, the production sector where most are concentrated is trade (18.5% in 2024), followed by professional activities (17.1%) and construction (10.3%). If we take 2024 just under half, 49.1% were started up by young people under 35, 30.3% by those aged between 36 and 50. The rest by the upper age groups. Looking at the dynamics, it can be seen that it is precisely the openings of new VAT numbers for those between 51 and 65 years of age that have grown (+1.2%), while for the other age groups there has been a slight decrease. Just over a fifth refer to people born abroad.

If this is the overall picture, built up through data from the Anagrafe tributaria, the Observatory of Fidocommercialista, the start-up created to simplify the bureaucracy of opening and running a business in Italy and help entrepreneurs with their daily taxation, has carried out a survey on freelancers, taking a sample of around 3,900 active professionals, to understand who they are, what they do, how much they earn and how they work. What emerges is a world heavily populated by young people who are grappling with important economic and fiscal challenges. More than a third of the sample is under 35 years old, but the over-50s segment is advancing. The way of working is increasingly digital and more than a third work exclusively online. Income is undoubtedly the weakest factor, averaging less than EUR 27,000, but it does not change their minds about their choice. In fact, 84% say they would do it again because of the autonomy and independence they enjoy. Nicola Primieri, co-founder of Fidocommercialista, explains that "the freelance sector is constantly evolving, but it is essential that tax policies are more incisive and targeted, to encourage the growth of this crucial category for the economy". The identikit reconstructed by the Observatory shows that Italian professionals are mostly young. In fact, the 26-35 age group accounts for 35.7% of the total. However, the participation of the over-50s in the self-employment market is growing, reaching 7.4%. If we look at cities, Milan, Rome and Turin are those where there is the highest concentration of freelancers, with an expansion also in northern Italian regions such as Lombardy and Piedmont. "The emergence of younger professionals and the greater presence of the over-50s testify to how the perception of self-employment is changing," notes Primieri.

From a sectoral point of view, medical and dental services are the most profitable, while sectors such as industrial production and concrete manufacture see less interesting results. The average annual turnover of freelancers is less than EUR 27,000 (EUR 26,888), with very significant seasonal variations. The greatest are recorded in August, when the average monthly turnover drops to around EUR 1,835.25, and December with the peak reaching EUR 2,834. Revenue certainly represents a fragile aspect of the category. In fact, more than half of the VAT parcels surveyed, around 56.1%, claim that their income is not sufficient to guarantee economic stability and only 43.9% consider themselves satisfied with their economic situation, a figure that reflects the difficulties many professionals have in making their income grow continuously. "Tax benefits are an essential element to ensure the competitiveness of self-employment, but they need to be stable and easily accessible," says Primieri. According to the survey, only 8.5 per cent of professionals have benefited from ongoing tax incentives, with a prevalence of breaks at the start of their business. This figure suggests that, despite the support system, many professionals continue to find themselves in a situation of uncertainty. Despite the economic fragility, however, 84% of respondents would make the same choice again, because, despite the economic and management difficulties, motivations for independence, growth and personal fulfilment prevail.

Among the professionals surveyed, more than 8 in 10 (81.1%) say they combine online and offline activities, with a significant proportion working exclusively in digital mode. In general, one factor that emerges strongly is the increasing digitisation and flexibility of self-employment, an aspect that seems destined to characterise the future of the sector. The mode of working is increasingly moving towards digital and flexibility: 40.85% work in a mixed online and offline mode, and a further 31.71% work completely online. This figure confirms the growing importance of digital skills also for those who are self-employed. For Primieri, this trend highlights "how the digital sector is becoming increasingly crucial for the sustainability of professional activities, also considering the new ways of using services that require adaptation to new technologies.