Between 2019 and 2025, trade and tourism lost nearly 177,000 self-employed workers, a 14.1% decrease, resulting in an average of 81 fewer small company owners and other self-employed individuals every day. This is according to data from Confesercenti, one of Italy's biggest business associations, which focuses on commerce and tourism. The trend sharply contrasts with overall employment figures. The two sectors experienced a 351,000 increase in total employment (+8.4%). However, the positive balance was entirely attributed to salaried employment, which increased by 528,000 (+18%), while self-employment decreased by 14.1%. Retail commerce was the most significant contributor to the negative balance, losing 135,762 entrepreneurs, collaborators, and other professionals in six years (-16.6%). Food service also declined, with 45,523 fewer self-employed workers (-11.9%). Travel agencies were steady (-0.4%), whereas accommodation increased by 3,766 independent workers (+7.4%), owing to the rise of popular forms of hospitality, such as vacation houses and bed and breakfasts. Overall, this is a phenomenon that is altering the face of commerce and tourism: in 2019, one-third of workers were self-employed; today, that percentage has dropped to one-fourth.