Why France Has So Many 49-Employee Companies
(businessweek.com)
The situation is somehow similar in Italy, but here the difference kicks in at 15 employees: That is way too little.
Where I work, for example, there are many companies, all up to 14 people... I changed "employer" three times, even if I always did the same job!
In Italy there are probably 100 times more companies with 14 employees than with 15. Under 15 employees, you can fire people like you want, with no protection for workers. Over 15, it's tough to fire people. Probably too tough.