Work: wool mills, spinning, garments and fast fashion

Textiles and fashion

Prato's textile industry (wool mills, spinning, finishing) has been losing firms for years; in 2023, according to the Pistoia-Prato Chamber of Commerce report, output fell, with yarns the hardest-hit segment. The district claims a vocation for recycling, with recycled wool that needs no dyeing, and was the first district in the world to join Greenpeace's Detox project to eliminate pollutants from processing.

Garment making, by contrast, has grown in number of firms and is the province's largest export item; active foreign-owned firms exceed ten thousand, mostly Chinese and working in fashion. The report points to the supply chain's dependence on the decisions of the big brands that place orders and to a below-average survival rate for new firms.

Labour market

In 2023 the province's employment rate was above the Tuscan and national averages and unemployment was falling; industry absorbs the largest share of workers. Machinery for the textile industry is among the growing segments. The flood that began on 2 November 2023 effectively halted activity in several industrial areas for many weeks, and the Chamber of Commerce later opened grant calls for damaged businesses.