Dear colleagues and friends, I have recently read on the Internet the data published by Istat relating to the performance of the main sectors in this period of economic crisis.
As many have already written and said, the pharmaceutical sector is not suffering from this economic crisis but instead presents data in contrast with all other economic and productive sectors.
Some facts are truly striking:
In January 2010, the industrial production index corrected for calendar effects showed, compared to the same month of the previous year, positive changes in the sectors of pharmaceutical products (up 12.8 per cent), chemical products (up 11.8 per cent), computer manufacturing and electronic and optical products (up 10.2 per cent) and means of transport (up 6.9 per cent). The most marked decreases concerned metallurgy and metal products (minus 10.0 per cent), mining (minus 8.4 per cent), machinery and equipment nec (minus 4.8 per cent) and the wood, paper and printing industry (minus 3.9 per cent). And going into detail, we realize that the cyclical variation for the pharmaceutical sector was +3.4 % in the period from January to December 2009, in a very strong contrast with other sectors which instead recorded strongly negative data.
By analyzing the official data provided by Farmindustria in its publication relating to the pharmaceutical indicators of 2009 which can be viewed at http://www.farmindustria.it/pubblico/in200900.pdf we learn that:
“ The drop of 2,700 employees in 2007 (-3.6%) was followed by a further decrease in employment levels in 2008 (-2,500 units, -3.5%), a result which led to a 7.0% drop in employment in Italy in the two-year period 2007-2008 (-5,200 units). This reduction mainly affected the external network (-16% in two years, with 85% of total exits in the last two years), "
Therefore, faced with annual increases of + 3.4 %, pharmaceutical companies, with the approval of the Triple Alliance and the institutions, have taken steps to cut as many as 5200 work units corresponding to - 7 % in the two-year period 2007-2008 and - 3.5 % in 2008 alone, years in which there was still no mention of an economic crisis.
In the face of these incontrovertible data, what should we expect from the industries in the sector?
New layoffs, CIGS, staff transfers or new hires?
Posterity will judge
We try to stick together and make our voices heard
Umberto Alderisi
12.03.2010
