Rome’s Tertiary Sector Businesses Show Growing Confidence for 2026: Confcommercio Report
Rome, February 4, 2026 – Confidence is on the rise among tertiary sector businesses in Rome, according to a new research report titled “The Sentiment of Tertiary Sector Businesses in Rome Capital 2025.” The study, conducted by Confcommercio Rome in collaboration with Format Research, with contributions from the Rome Chamber of Commerce, is part of the “Retail Development” project.
The investigation analyzes the key economic drivers for businesses in the trade, tourism, and services sectors operating within the province of Rome. It examines both the performance of the past year and expectations for 2026. The results paint a generally stable picture, with signs of moderate improvement in confidence, employment, and investments, despite structural challenges that continue to hinder investment propensity.
Confidence in Economic Performance
Between 2024 and 2025, nearly 28% of tertiary sector businesses in Rome Capital reported an improvement in their economic activity, a figure significantly higher than the national average of 12%. The majority of Roman businesses (52.1%) indicated a stable situation, while 20.3% reported a deterioration, a lower figure compared to the 26% recorded nationally.
Looking ahead to 2026-2027, the sentiment remains positive: 40.4% of businesses anticipate an improvement in economic performance, 46.3% expect substantial stability, and only 13.4% foresee a deterioration. This confirms growing confidence, particularly in a prospective sense.
In terms of revenue, Rome’s tertiary sector has performed better than the national average over the past two years. Furthermore, the proportion of trade, tourism, and service businesses in the province of Rome expecting improved revenues in 2026 is increasing. The average revenue per enterprise is also projected to recover, moving from -2.5% in 2025 to -0.66% in 2026.
Overall Employment: Stability Now, Slight Growth Expected in 2026
On the employment front, the situation appears largely stable. In 2024-2025, 71.4% of Roman tertiary businesses reported an unchanged number of employees, while 14.4% indicated an increase in employment and 14.2% a decrease. In this regard, Rome’s data is in line with or slightly better than the national average.
Forecasts for 2026 confirm a climate of cautious confidence: 15% of businesses expect an increase in employment, 76.5% foresee stability, and only 8.6% anticipate a reduction in staff. This signals a desire to consolidate business structures rather than downsize them.
Investments Made: Focus on Training and Innovation
In the last three months of 2025, 17% of tertiary sector businesses in Rome Capital applied for credit or financing, a figure consistent with the national picture. Among the reasons, a key point emerges: almost 38% of Roman businesses sought credit to make investments, indicating that growth paths (skills, digitalization, innovation) often require external financial support. In this context, in 2025, 34.2% of tertiary sector businesses in Rome Capital actually invested (compared to 65.8% who did not invest), and among those who did, 22.7% resorted to bank credit. Analyzing the areas of investment, some clear priorities emerge:
- Staff training: 65.9%
- Equipment and machinery: 64.7%
- Marketing and communication activities: 56.5%
- Digitalization and IT tools: 55.3%
- Structures and premises: 48.2%
- Innovation and sustainability: 31.8%
- E-commerce: 28.2%
The data highlights that investments are primarily focused on strengthening skills, operational efficiency, and digital transformation, which are key elements for the competitiveness of tertiary sector businesses.
Obstacles to Investment: Bureaucratic Complexity Weighs Heavily
Despite the willingness to invest, significant structural obstacles remain. The main impediment cited by businesses is excessive bureaucratic and regulatory complexity, indicated by 29% of respondents. This is followed by the high cost of investments (28.6%) and the perceived high business risk (28.1%).
Other critical issues include long waiting times for authorizations and permits (26.5%), uncertainty about demand and the market (25.4%), and a lack of own financial resources (25.4%). More marginal, but still relevant, are limited knowledge of public incentives and difficulties in accessing credit.
The data on bureaucracy confirms the central role of Confcommercio Rome in supporting businesses, offering assistance, guidance, and dedicated services to simplify administrative processes and foster investment.
A Prudent but Growth-Oriented Sentiment
The research paints a picture of a prudent yet resilient entrepreneurial landscape, capable of looking to the future with moderate confidence. Tertiary sector businesses in Rome Capital are focusing on stability, human capital qualification, and innovation, while simultaneously calling for a simpler and more favorable regulatory environment for development.
This framework reinforces the importance of targeted policies and support services to transform positive expectations into concrete and lasting growth.
Source: confcommercioroma.it
