Vitali G., Filippi M., Manello A., Working Paper Cnr-Ceris, N° 14/2012

4. ECONOMIC SPECIALIZATION OF
FOREIGN FIRMS
Another characteristic of the foreign micro firms is
the economic specialization of each ethnic.
On average, one third of the foreign firms works in
the construction sector, one third in the commercial
sector, un fourth in the service sector and only 10%
in the industrial sector (table 5).
The country of origin has a strong impact on the
economic specialization: 38% of Chinese firms are
within the industry (38%) and trade sector (55%),

and very few firms are in the construction or in the
service. On the contrary, Albanian firms are mainly
in the construction (80%), and Bangladesh firms
operate in the commerce (79%). Other
specializations are as follows: Albanian (80%) and
Romanian (69%) firms are mainly in the
construction, Bangladesh, Senegalese, Nigerian and
Moroccan firms in the trade, Brazilian and
Venezuelan9 firms in the service sector.
9
A part of the Venezuelan immigrants are Italians born
abroad that come back to Italy

Table 5: Foreign firms by country of origin and economic sector (2009)

Albania

12

Industry Construction Commerce Service
3,5%
81,2%
5,9%
9,5%

Total
100%

Bangladesh
Brazil
China
Egypt
Former Yugoslavia
Morocco
Nigeria
Pakistan
Poland
Romania
Russia
Senegal
Tunisia
Venezuela
Eastern Europe
Africa
Asia
Latin America

3,8%
4,6%
38,4%
5,0%
4,6%
4,2%
3,1%
6,2%
4,0%
4,0%
4,7%
4,0%
7,4%
6,1%
4,3%
5,4%
4,1%
6,3%

1,0%
28,5%
1,0%
39,1%
63,4%
26,8%
2,3%
11,9%
34,1%
68,8%
36,7%
4,5%
55,2%
7,9%
33,2%
10,8%
13,4%
18,7%

79,1%
23,4%
55,8%
32,9%
13,4%
58,4%
59,3%
50,7%
24,3%
9,5%
26,1%
80,4%
21,0%
37,9%
24,4%
33,0%
31,4%
24,6%

16,2%
43,5%
4,8%
22,9%
18,7%
10,5%
35,3%
31,2%
37,5%
17,8%
32,6%
11,2%
16,4%
48,1%
38,1%
50,8%
51,0%
50,4%

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Others
Total

5,7%
10,6%

9,2%
34,0%

32,6%
32,3%

52,5%
23,1%

100%
100%