Insular Italy - Socio-economic Situation

Socio-economic Situation

The unemployment rate of Sicily is the highest in the country at 11.9%, while in Sardinia between 2006-07 it dropped for the first time below 10%, reaching 8.6%, the lowest of all the Mezzogiorno regions, excluding Molise and Abruzzo. The low level of entrepreneurship in Sicily is tied to criminality, while in Sardinia it results from operating expenses (electricity, transportation, etc.) 20-50% higher than other regions due to its isolated location from the mainland: this handicap, in Sardinia, was reduced with the development of information technologies, like Tiscali, low-cost carrier, like Ryanair, and the territorial continuity (continuità territoriale) legislation about fares and routes between the islands and mainland Italy.