A recent report revealed that one in four jobs in Italy targets foreigners, highlighting the country’s need for migrant workers.
This study, conducted by the Union of Chambers of Commerce and the Italian Ministry of Labor, relies on the recruiting programmes of service corporations during the first seven months of 2024, Schengen.News reports.
During this period, companies in Italy intended to sign 650,000 employment contracts with foreign workers, as reported by the Italian News Agency ANSA.
Most of the job vacancies—accounting for 20 per cent of the total—were related to the tourism industry. In addition, several offers were related to the service industry, including call centres, cleaning and green maintenance activities, and the transport, logistics, and warehousing sectors.
Rising Demand for Foreign Workers in Construction
As further reported, Italy saw an increasing demand for migrant workers in the construction industry during the first seven months of 2024.
On the other hand, the demand for foreigners in the metallurgy sector has decreased.
The number of job vacancies targeting foreign workers has been increasing over the past years. According to InfoMigrants, 19.2 per cent of overall industry requests in 2023 targeted foreign workers, marking the highest figure registered in the last six years.
Most In-Demand Jobs in Italy According to EURES
The 2023 EURES report on shortages and surpluses revealed that Italy is facing labour shortages in 37 occupations.
In addition to labour challenges, Italy, like some other EU countries, is facing an increasing ageing population. This implies that the country will further rely on foreign workers.
According to the latest EURES report, some of the roles struggling with labour shortages in Italy include:
- Manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
- Welders and flame cutters
- Bakers, pastry cooks, and confectionery makers
- Food service counter attendants
- Healthcare assistants
- Medical imaging and therapeutic equipment technicians
- Personal services workers not elsewhere classified
- Computer network and system technicians
- Physicians and engineering science technicians not elsewhere certified
- Software and applications developers and analysts not elsewhere certified
Among other things, it was noted that some of the most challenging roles to fill during 2023-2027 are anticipated to be nurses, physiotherapists, and qualified professionals in health and social services.
It is estimated that between 2023 and 2027, 34.3 per cent of the employment requirement will be for personnel with tertiary education (university or vocational training), and 48.1 per cent of profiles will require a secondary technical-professional education.
Meanwhile, a note published by the IDOS Study and Research Centre in October 2023 highlighted that Italy will need at least 280,000 foreign workers per year until 2050 to tackle the labour shortages.