Labour market information: Italy

The Italian labour market is highly diverse. Industrial activity is mostly concentrated in the north, while people in southern regions mainly work in agriculture and tourism. The main sectors ranked in order of GDP (2022) are: services (GDP EUR 291 807 million), manufacturing (GDP EUR 75 677 million), construction (GDP EUR 21 586 million), agriculture (GDP EUR 7 609 million). The most commonly offered employment contracts are fixed-term and full-time. The most requested qualification is an upper secondary school diploma.

The last few years have seen a steady decline in the Italian population to a historical low in January 2023, with the total dropping to 58 850 717 people. The number of people with foreign citizenship stands at around 5 030 716 (8% of the population) with a higher co‏ncentration in north-western regions. However, the demographic crisis is most evident in southern Italy, particularly in Molise, Basilicata and Calabria.

Despite a slight slowdown in the last quarter of 2022, Italy’s GDP in 2022 stood at + 2.8% and is expected to grow further by 1.9% in 2023. Already in Q1 2023, Italy’s GDP increased above the European average (+ 0.5%). The positive trend in GDP was supported by consumption, the recovery of investments – especially in construction – and the rebound in tourism. In Q4 2022, the economic inactivity rate (15-64 years) remained almost unchanged (34.2%), while there was a slight decrease in the unemployment rate (7.8% in March 2023 vs. 8.2% in April 2022) and youth unemployment (22.3% vs. 24.4% in April 2022). Unfortunately, as at January 2022, the percentage of NEETs (aged 15-29) is still among the highest in Europe (23.10%). Since April 2022, the labour force participation rate has increased by almost 1% to 66.2% in March 2023.

In 2022, the political and economic challenges linked to the conflict in Ukraine did not have a negative impact on employment needs, in particular in the business and services sector. Among the sectors experiencing a trend growth were the manufacture of transport equipment (+ 12.4%), the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations (+ 6.5%) and the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+ 3.3%). The largest declines were recorded in the wood, paper and printing industry (- 13.4%), electricity, gas, steam and air supply (- 12.5%) and mining (- 11.0%).

The latest forecasts from the Excelsior Unioncamere/ANPAL information system for the period 2023-2027 show an overall need for employment of around 3.8 million people, or almost 760 000 people per year. Three quarters of the demand will be absorbed by the services sector (3.3% or 2.88 million people), followed by industry (2.6%, approximately 800 000 people) and agriculture (2.4% or around 110 000 people). The estimated demand for specific sectors will be as follows: trade and tourism over 750 000 people; other public and private services – including operational support services for businesses and people and the public sector – around 567 000 positions; health 477 000 people; training and culture 436 000 people financing and consultancy almost 430 000 people; construction and infrastructure 270 000 people; agri-food 168 000 people; and finally mechanical and robotics around 153 000 people. In particular, National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) investments will generate around 70% of new jobs in four main sectors: ‘construction and infrastructure’ (21%), ‘tourism and trade’ (18%), ‘advanced services’ (16%) and ‘education and culture’ (13%).

The territorial distribution of needs shows the north-west area as the one with the largest share of demand (almost 1.1 million, or 28.5% of the total). The south and islands region is only slightly behind the north-west at over 1 million people (27.3%). As regards the other two regions, their contribution to total demand is much lower: approximately 873 000 people for the north-east (23% of the total) and around 806 000 people for the central region (21.2% of the total). At the regional level, Lombardy will have the largest share of employment demand, with over 714 000 people (19% of the national total), followed by Lazio (379 000 people), Veneto (346 000 people) and Emilia Romagna (almost 336 000 people).

These data must also be analysed taking into account the interventions planned in the NRRP to reduce regional disparities and enhance the southern Italy, to which 40% of the funds will be allocated.

Sicily, for example, is expecting significant investments in transportation, while Lombardy will see major interventions in mobility (for Milan in particular) and healthcare (accounting for 61% of the PNRR funds for the region). For Piedmont, one of the main flagship projects under the PNRR is to become the Italian Hydrogen Valley, leveraging its strategic position from a logistical point of view.

Between 2023 and 2027 the professions with a higher rate of demand are those typical of the sectoral sectors that will be most involved in NRRP-linked investments. These include engineers and technicians in the engineering sector, who will be required by both business consulting services and the mechatronics and robotics sector; health technicians (including nurses, physiotherapists, radiologists, laboratory technicians), doctors and qualified professionals in health and social services, who will be essential for making the facilities that will be developed with PNRR funds operational. ICT technicians and specialists in mathematical and computer sciences will be absorbed across the board by the different sectors involved in the digital transition.

Both the forecast for permanent contracts (+ 11.9%) and for fixed-term and seasonal contracts (+ 5.7%) increased, while collaboration contracts (- 18.7%) and self-employment contracts (- 13.1%) decreased.

GREEN AND DIGITAL TRANSITION

Investments from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) will be important for the recovery of the Italian economy in the coming years. In particular, ecological and digital transition actions will lead to an increased demand for jobs in the green economy, IT and telecommunications sectors (commonly known as green jobs). The NRRP earmarks 37% of investment and reform expenditure to support climate objectives, and 20% to support the digital transition.

The budget for the green revolution and the ecological transition is EUR 59.46 billion. This covers the circular economy and sustainable agriculture (EUR 5.27 billion), renewable energy and sustainable mobility (EUR 23.78 billion), energy efficiency and building redevelopment (EUR 15.36 billion), and land preservation (EUR 15.05 billion). These investments will drive job growth across many economic sectors, but particularly in mechatronics (especially electricity and electronics), agri-food, fittings and construction. New sectoral supply chains are expected to experience development thanks to resources dedicated to hydrogen-related technologies, satellites, microelectronics, the development of a European battery industry, strengthening cybersecurity and cloud technologies. This will lead to a new offering of goods and services in various segments, focusing mainly on green and digital products, including digital services related to telemedicine, smart mobility, electric vehicles and sustainable mobility.

The greatest demand for green jobs will be in the following areas: for the construction sector, sustainable architects, designers of sustainable buildings and installers of low environmental impact air-conditioning systems; for the mechanics field, experts in electric motor systems and/or component technologies; for environmental roles, environmental IT specialists to develop environmental software and applications, along with environmental lawyers, mobility managers, energy managers and eco-designers. In addition, the demand for professionals with a mix of at least two e-skills (basic digital skills, ability to use mathematical and IT languages and methods, and to manage innovative solutions) is estimated at between 875 000 and 959 000, more than 20% of the total. These include software analysts and designers, electronic and telecommunications engineers, programming technicians and network and telematic system administrators.

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In the 5‑year period 2023-2027, the most challenging roles to fill are estimated to be doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, qualified professionals in health and social services, as well as some of the professions crucial for technological innovation and digital transition processes, such as mathematics and computer science specialists, ICT technicians, engineers and engineering technicians. Other roles include skilled construction workers and employees in the restaurant industry.

In the context of the ecological and digital transition, the specific professions in demand for the next 5 years for which recruitment challenges may arise, for example in the construction sector, include energy engineers, thermal technicians, heating and plumbing system installers, automation engineers, CAD designers and BIM specialists. In the IT and telecommunications sectors, roles such as software developers, data engineers and cyber security specialists are emerging that are more digitally related, while green-related professions such as full-stack developers, IT project managers and ICT engineers are also on the rise due to the strong connection between the two transitions.

In mechatronics, optics and robotics, the roles such as mechanical designers, automation engineers, energy certification technicians, supplier quality engineers and site engineers are in demand.

In the ‘mobility and logistics’ sector, environmental technician, process engineer, field support engineer and material planner are highlighted, while in the agri-food sector packaging specialists, chemical analysts and marketing specialists are sought after.

It is estimated that between 2023 and 2027, 34.3% of the employment requirement will be for personnel with tertiary education (university or vocational training), and 48.1% of profiles will require a secondary technical-professional education.

Specifically, a more pronounced shortage of graduates is expected in the medical and healthcare (12 000 graduates per year), economics and statistics sectors (8 000 per year) and workers with a tertiary qualification in STEM disciplines (6 000 per year). In particular for STEM areas, the most critical mismatches are observed in the mathematics, physical and computer and engineering sciences. Considering the technical vocational training and secondary education as a whole, it is estimated that the current overall training offer may only be able to meet 60% of the potential demand in the next 5 years, with more critical mismatches in the fields of transport and logistics, construction, fashion system, mechatronics, mechanics and energy. It is projected that between 2023 and 2027 the supply may satisfy less than one third of the potential demand in these areas.

Between May and July 2023, an estimated 1 547 540 new hires were expected, and in May 2023, 46% of the jobs offered nationally remained unfilled. Of these, the largest number is expected in the north-west (129 260) with a 46.1% difficulty in recruitment, followed by the south and islands (125 770) with a 44.2% difficulty, the north-east (115 640) with a 50.5% difficulty, and the central region (96 090) with a 43.4% difficulty.

In the May-July 2023 quarter, the mechatronics sector is expected to offer the most job opportunities (66 000), followed by metallurgy (approximately 53 000), agri-food (around 45 000) and fashion (29 000). The construction sector is also growing, planning approximately 132 000 hirings (+ 25.8%). The services sector is looking to recruit around 335 000 workers in May and over 1.1 million by July. Demand for labour in the tourism industry remains very high, with 107 000 contracts planned for May and 398 000 by July. There were also many job opportunities in trade, with around 58 000 expected entries in May and around 192 000 in the quarter. This was followed by personal services, which, despite the drop compared to a year ago (- 27.2%), were looking for around 49 000 workers in May, rising to over 180 000 in the May-July quarter.

In the month, 46.1% of the personnel sought by companies were difficult to find (+ 7.8 percentage points compared to a year ago), mainly due to a lack of candidates. The hardest-to-find technical and highly specialised personnel are: engineers and engineering technicians (61.0% and 65.2%, respectively), health technicians (63.1%), production process management technicians (63.0%) and commercial distribution technicians (58.7%); while among skilled workers, of note are tradesmen specialising in the finishing of buildings (73.5%), founders, welders, sheet metal workers, boilermakers, carpentry fitters (72.2%), home-made mechanics, assemblers, repairers, fixed/mobile machinery maintenance workers (72.1%) and tool-makers (71.5%).

Demand for immigrant workers remains high with 91 000 planned entries in May 2023 (+ 18 000 compared to the same period in 2022), accounting for 19.5% of the total. Foreign labour is primarily sought after in operational services supporting companies and individuals (37.3% of expected vacancies will be covered by immigrant personnel), transport, logistics and warehousing services (28.7%), construction (23.9%), metallurgy (23.2%) and the food industry (20.3%).

Unemployment figures are typically high in southern areas of Italy. ISTAT data for Q4 2022 show an unemployment rate for the 15-65 age group in the south of Italy of 14.6% in southern Italy, a very high rate compared to that in other parts of the country (central Italy 7.1%, and the north 4.8%).

The three regions with the highest unemployment rate in 2022 were Campania (17.4%), Sicily (16.9%) and Calabria (15%). In contrast, the lowest unemployment rates are found in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (2.3%), Trentino-Alto Adige (3.1%) and the Autonomous Province of Trento (3.8%).

The gender employment gap remains among the highest in Europe. Female unemployment in Italy stands at 9.5% (Q4 2022) compared with 7.3% for men. The highest levels of female unemployment are recorded in southern Italy with 14.6%, followed by central Italy with 7.1% and the north 5.1%. The regions with the highest rates of female unemployment are Campania (20.3%) and Sicily (19.3%).

According to Excelsior’s forecasts for the 2023-2027 5‑year period, profiles with below-average demand and low difficulty in recruiting workers include mail sorting and delivery clerks and bank office employees, indicating a possible slowdown in demand for these professions (low demand). This is confirmed by the relatively low demand for these positions in absolute terms.

The positive trend in employment that started in Q2 2021 has continued and gradually strengthened throughout 2022.

The average number of people in employment in 2022 stood at around 55 200 and rose by 4.6% compared with the previous year, thus returning to pre-pandemic levels and fully recouping the losses following the health emergency. At the same time, the number of unemployed people fell significantly, both compared to 2021 and in 2019, to around 3 100, while labour market participation showed a positive trend compared to the previous year (+ 2.5%), but was still slightly lower than in 2019 (- 1.3%).

These dynamics can be better clarified by looking at the development of individual quantities on a quarterly basis. On this basis, it can be observed that trend employment, adjusted for seasonal effects, has picked up again after the gradual fall between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021, closely linked to the various phases of the pandemic, although it tends to stabilise in the last two quarters of 2022. In the case of unemployment, mirroring employment, the peak occurred between the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, followed by a gradual reduction throughout 2022.

Although employment levels with respect to 2021 show growth for both women (+ 4.4%) and men (+ 4.8%), for the latter, the pre-pandemic level has not yet been recovered, in contrast to the female component, which has recorded a positive balance of + 1.1% compared to 2019. On the other hand, the growth in employment between 2019 and 2022 is entirely explained by women. The variation in unemployment, moreover, is positive for both genders, but significantly more pronounced in the case of men.

In 2022, the activity rate (15-64 age group) was 73.8%, the employment rate (15-64 age group) was at its highest level since 2018 (69.8%), while the unemployment rate was at its lowest level for the period (5.4%).

In 2022, in comparison to the Italian average, the position of Valle d’Aosta is significantly better, with an employment rate around 9 percentage points higher (69.8% compared with 60.1%) and a lower unemployment rate (5.4% compared with 8.1%). Specifically, the data related to the female workforce in Valle d’Aosta shows a positive departure from the national figures: the employment rate for women in Valle d’Aosta was 66% compared with 51.1% nationally, while the regional unemployment rate was 6.4% and the Italian rate was 9.4%.

In the economic sectors, there was widespread growth between 2021 and 2022, with the sole exception of construction, which has seen a reduction in employment levels. When compared to the pre-pandemic period, the services and construction sectors have fully recovered their employment levels, while agriculture and manufacturing still show a gap compared to 2019.

The recovery from the pandemic crisis is also illustrated by the demand for job openings, which in 2022 recorded an 8.5% increase compared to the previous year. The growth rate of new hires was higher for men (+ 9.8%) than for women (+ 7.3%). However, compared to pre-pandemic levels, employment needs are still below the level reached in 2019 (- 3.7%).

From a sectoral point of view, compared with the previous year, there was an increase in recruitments for all services (+ 10.3%), with more significant increases for trade (+ 16.7%), accommodation and food services (+ 12.4%), information and communication services (+ 16%) and real estate activities (+ 36.8%). The agricultural sector also registered an increase, albeit very modest (+ 1.6%), while the secondary sector as a whole showed a slightly negative balance (- 1.9%), driven by a positive performance in construction (+ 1.5%) and a negative performance in manufacturing (- 6.9%).

The most common form of recruitment by far was for fixed-term jobs (89% of employment contracts). Over 37% of the demand for new hires is driven by the accommodation and food services sector.

Recruitment as a whole in Valle d’Aosta involved more than 360 different candidate profiles, but the top 20 occupations accounted for nearly two thirds of the total demand for new hires, highlighting a significant concentration of professional needs by companies on a relatively small number of job positions.

The most in-demand professions, as further confirmation of the expansion of the tertiary sector, are waiters and similar occupations, cooks and sales assistants. Other occupations with higher recruitment levels include teachers in various institutions and at various levels, care workers, bar staff and similar occupations, administrative assistants, various low-skilled occupations (cleaners, unskilled catering workers, unskilled agricultural labourers), receptionists, some industrial occupations (automated machine tool operators), domestic workers and similar occupations.

The characteristics of the current quarter and the speed of change make it difficult to outline regional trends. In terms of employment dynamics, the post-pandemic recovery seems to suggest a consolidation of the labour market. Considering the economic development and demographic characteristics, it is presumed that there will be further employment growth in the tertiary sector in the short term, along with a continued process of feminisation.

In 2022, unemployment was again dominated by women. In 2022, some 70% of jobseekers had previously had a job which they had lost, while less than 20% had previously been inactive, with the rest being unemployed (or those seeking their first jobs).

The potential labour force is a segment of the labour market that needs to be properly analysed, as it potentially includes people seeking work, although they do not fall within the definition of unemployed people in official statistics. In 2022, the potential labour force amounted to around 2 600, a level that was significantly lower than the previous year and also lower than pre-pandemic values. The share of young NEETs (15-29 age group) stood at 18% in 2021, an increase from both 2020 and 2018.

ISTAT data show that 4 240 736 people live in Piedmont in 2022, down from 2021 (a fall of - 0.4%). In 2021, 4 256 350 residents were registered. In 2022, there were 2 068 142 male residents in Piemonte, (- 0.3% compared to 2021), while there were 2 172 594 female residents (- 0.5% compared to 2021). In 2021, there were 2 073 845 male residents in Piemonte, while there were 2 182 505 female residents (Source: ISTAT – DEMOGRAPHIC BALANCE)

In Piedmont, with reference to the of dependent employment dynamics, excluding intermittent and domestic contracts, the following findings are highlighted (source: LABOUR MARKET OBSERVATORY OF THE PIEDMONT REGION PAPER ON SILP DATA FOR THE REGION OF PIEMONTE).

Based on the data reported for 2022, compared to 2019, recruitment of women shows a percentage change of + 7.3% and men’s hirings show a percentage increase of + 12.1%, while for terminations, the data shows a change between 2022 and 2019 of + 6.3% for women and + 12.8% for men. The net balance of hirings and terminations in 2022 were positive for both women (+ 13 180) and men (+ 7 812), but, for the latter, the balance was lower than the net balance of hirings and terminations relative to 2019.

Looking at the analysis by sector, when comparing data for 2022 with the data for 2019, a percentage increase was recorded in recruitments in several sectors, including: construction + 20.9%, manufacturing + 16.1%, trade + 10.5%, education + 39.6%, health and social welfare + 2.4%. The construction, manufacturing and trade sectors show a positive net increase in employment in 2022, while the education and health and social welfare sectors had a negative balance.

Focusing on the analysis by territory, all the provinces in Piedmont, except Asti, showed an increase in the percentage change of hirings in 2022 compared to 2019: Alessandria + 5.3%, Asti - 2.5%, Cuneo + 3.5%, Verbania-Cusio-Ossola + 6.9%, Biella + 17.4%, Turin + 11.4%, Vercelli + 4.9%, Novara + 24.5%. The net employment change in 2022 is positive for Alessandria + 1 602, Asti + 208, Cuneo + 3 118, Verbania-Cusio-Ossola + 105, Turin + 15 582, Novara + 1 212, but negative for Biella - 93 and for Vercelli - 742.

In 2022, the unemployment rate (15-64 age group) in Piedmont is 6.6% (7.3% for women in the 15-64 age group). These values are lower than the national data. In Italy, in 2022, the unemployment rate was 8.2% (with a female unemployment rate of 9.5% ).

In 2021, the unemployment rate (15-64 age group) in Piedmont was higher than in 2022, standing at 7.3% (with a female unemployment rate of 8.7% in the 15-64 age group). In Italy, the unemployment rate stood at 9.5% in 2021 (female unemployment rate at 10.6%).

In 2020, the unemployment rate (15-64 age group) in Piedmont was higher than in 2021 and 2022 and was, in fact, 7.6% (with a female unemployment rate of 8.8% in the 15-64 age group). In Italy, the unemployment rate stood at 9.3% in 2020 (with a female unemployment rate of 10.4%).

In 2019, in the pre-pandemic period, the unemployment rate (15-64 age group) in Piedmont was 7.6% (with a female unemployment rate of 9.2% in the 15-64 age group). In Italy, in 2019, the unemployment rate stood at 9.9% (with a female unemployment rate of 11.1%).

In 2022, the youth unemployment rate in Piedmont was 20.6% (15-24 age group) and 9.3% (25-34 age group). In 2021, this rate was 23.4% (15-24 age group) and 9.2% (25-34 age group) (source for unemployment rates: LABOUR MARKET OBSERVATORY OF THE PIEDMONT REGION PAPER ON ISTAT-RCFL DATA FOR THE REGION OF PIEMONTE)

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With reference to the expected incoming workers in April 2023, the following data are highlighted (source: Unioncamere-ANPAL, Excelsior Information System, 2023).

Regarding the new hires analysed based on the required educational qualifications by companies, out of the 25 290 expected hires: 4 520 relate to university level; 220 to higher technical education (ITS – Istruzione tecnica superiore); 8 400 to secondary education level; 4 640 to vocational training or diploma qualifications; and 7 510 are for positions that do not require any specific educational qualification.

Based on the type of degree, the expected hires are as follows: for economics: 1 050 expected hires (34.6% of which are hard to fill); for education and training (780 expected hires, 45.1% of which are hard to fill); for health and paramedical fields (720 expected hires, 64.5% of which are hard to fill); for industrial engineering (330 expected hires, 54.7% of which are hard to fill); for mathematics, physical and IT science (320 expected hires, 69% of which are hard to fill).

The expected hires for higher technical education (ITS) is 220 (70.2% of which are difficult to fill).

As far as education at secondary level is concerned, the expected hires are as follows: socio-health care (2 170 expected hires, 72.3% of which are hard to fill); administration, finance and marketing (2 100 expected hires, 32.1% of which are hard to fill); mechanics, mechatronics and energy (1 000 expected hires, 64.8% of which are hard to fill); tourism, food and wine and hospitality (620 expected hires, 60.5% of which are hard to fill).

With regard to sectoral trends, the number of workers expected to be hired by companies in the period from April to June 2023 is 82 610, of which 26 280 are in industry (21 120 in manufacturing and public utilities and 5 160 in construction); 56 330 in services (12 900 in trade, 11 290 in the hospitality sector and tourism services; 16 020 in business services, 16 120 in personal services).

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The data collected in recent years show, with particular clarity, the sensitivity of the labour market to the fluctuations in COVID-19 cases, the implementation of lockdown and containment measures, the intensification or decline of the pandemic alert and the overall political situation.

Moreover, since the end of February 2022, the precarious geopolitical balance brought about by the Russo-Ukrainian war and the consequent increase in tensions on commodity prices, especially energy, have also created a situation of instability and uncertainty, which makes forecasting difficult even in the short term.

Nevertheless, studies conducted by ‘BANK OF ITALY-EUROSYSTEM, Regional Economies’ indicate that in the first part of 2022, the labour market in Piedmont continued to improve. However, it should be borne in mind that, according to Sontel data, in the last quarter of 2022 and in the first 3 months of 2023, the balance between expected increases and reductions in hours worked has reduced significantly in the services sector, but has remained positive, while it has become negative in the industry sector.

In 2022, the youth unemployment rate in Piedmont was 20.6% (15-24 age group) and 9.3% (25-34 age group). In 2021, this rate was 23.4% (15-24 age group) and 9.2% (25-34 age group).

In the analysis by province, the youth unemployment rate for 2022 (15-24 age group) stood at 24.5% in Turin, 15.7% in Vercelli, 22.5% in Novara, 10.3% in Cuneo, 26.8% in Alessandria, 20.2% in Asti, 19.5% in Biella and 15.8% in VCO (Verbania-Cusio-Ossola).

The youth unemployment rate in Turin in 2022 (25-34 age group) was 11%, 6.8% for Vercelli, 6.6% for Novara, 5.4% for Cuneo, 9.6% for Asti, 11.5% for Alessandria, 5.1% for Biella, and 6.7% for VCO (Verbania-Cusio-Ossola) (source for unemployment rates: LABOUR MARKET OBSERVATORY OF THE PIEDMONT REGION PAPER ON ISTAT-RCFL DATA FOR THE REGION OF PIEMONTE)

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Lombardy is the most populous region in Italy, with 9.98 million inhabitants in 2021 (- 0.3% since 2018) and it ranks first in Italy for people in employment, at 4.2 million (15-64 age group). The employment rate is 66.5% (73.4% for men and 59.5% for women). The unemployment rate is 6% (15-64 age group, 5.4% men, 6.6% women), while the Italian average is 9.7%. The youth unemployment rate is 21.2% (15-24 age group), while the Italian average is 29.7%. The NEET rate is 13.6%. The rate for inactive women (30-69) is 35.7% and the rate for inactive individuals who would be available to work is 8.0%.The percentage of inactive individuals in the 15-64 age group is 28.1%.

In the first part of 2022, the regional labour market showed new signs of improvement, thanks to a significant increase in employment, although 2019 levels have not yet been fully recovered. The use of social safety nets has fallen markedly, almost returning to pre-pandemic levels, and the number of unemployed has decreased.

In the first half of 2022, employment rose by 2.9%, especially in the sectors related to trade, accommodation and catering (8.5%), which had been most affected by the crisis, and in construction (6.5%). The increase affected both the self-employed and employees, and was greater for men. The employment rate rose by 2.1 percentage points compared to the first half of 2021

Unlike in 2021, the balance was mainly driven by permanent jobs, thanks to the increase in both new hires and conversions. The balances were positive in all sectors, compared to the same period in 2021, and were lower in trade and services other than tourism, and higher in the manufacturing industry.

The number of unemployed persons fell again (by 16.2% in the first half of the year), after the increase recorded in 2021.

In the first 7 months of 2022, claims by employees under the new social insurance scheme for employment (NASpI) following involuntary termination of employment decreased by 17.8% compared with the corresponding period in 2021.

Lombardy is the first industrial region in Europe according to the NUTS2 classification of the European Union and is the Italian region with the highest number of enterprises organised in supply chains, accounting for around 15% of the national total.

Lombardy has already recognised 26 ‘bottom-up’ initiatives, comprising 457 individual actors and covering the entire regional territory. The largest initiative in terms of participating entities is Sustainability and Circularity of Aluminium – ‘Near to Zero’, with Raffmetal as its leader, a company from Brescia operating in the continuous casting aluminium alloy sector.

In addition to manufacturing and service companies, there are also other entities, which operate in a synergetic manner. For example Filiera Cosmetica Lombarda (Lombard Cosmetic Supply Chain), led by REI – Reindustria Innovazione, aims to promote territorial development through marketing and communication actions, innovation and research, and support for innovative startups in the province of Cremona.

Among the top 10 companies in the Top Employers Italy 2023 bracket are Acque Bresciane and Alfa Varese.

Data from the economic survey for Q3 2021 show that the growth sectors are rubber-plastics (+ 10.4%), mechanics (+ 9.1%), a leading sector of the Lombardy economy, and non-metallic minerals (+ 9.0%) driven by restructuring incentives. Chemicals (+ 8.7%) and iron and steel (+ 7.8%) maintained significant growth compared to pre-pandemic levels, followed by food (+ 6.3%) and wood/furniture (+ 4.7%). Transport equipment (+ 2.4%) and paper and printing (+ 1.7%) managed to post positive figures, but growth was still low.

The most sought-after roles by Lombard companies are: specialists (jobs requiring a high level of theoretical knowledge, acquired through the completion of university education) which, together with managers, represent the professional group with the largest market share (32% of demand in Lombardy). They are followed by executive roles (official employees + commercial profiles), accounting for 23% of demand, technicians representing 17% of demand and blue-collar workers (skilled workers + plant operators) at 14%. Unskilled labour accounts for the remaining 14% in Lombardy.

At the provincial level, demand is concentrated as follows: Managers & Specialists in Milan, Technicians in Lecco, Office Employees in Brescia and Bergamo, Commercial Profiles in Sondrio and Como, Unskilled Personnel in Cremona, Lodi and Pavia, Skilled Workers & Plant Operators in Mantua.

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The most difficult types of personnel to find are skilled workers & plant operators (50.1% of candidates not found), technicians (49.6%) and managers & specialists (48.4%), but there are also problems for other categories with specific roles in the health, logistics, hospitality and agriculture sectors.

In the category of Executives & Managers, the most sought-after figure is that of R&D Manager, while among Specialists the figures of Advertising & Marketing Specialist and System Analyst are the most high in demand.

In the Technical category, the most sought-after figure is that of Administrative Assistant, followed by quite some distance by Industrial Designers, Sales Representatives and Procurement Managers

Among the clerical positions, the highest in demand are accounting assistants and financial services clerks, while among commercial profiles, that of sales assistant is highly sought after.

In the skilled workers category, the most sought-after figures are those of fitters and modellers (those who build, manually or with the help of non-automatic or semi-automatic machines, tools and tools, draw and shape the metal blocks to create the designed tool or artefact), while among plant operators, general assemblers are in greatest demand.

Finding unskilled personnel does not present particular difficulties, except for specific jobs (unskilled agricultural jobs) for which difficulties arise in over 50% of cases. The most sought-after workers are goods handling and transport workers, unskilled workers in manufacturing processes and cleaning staff.

For the knowledge resulting from education (KNOWLEDGE), the most sought-after is that of languages, but customer service and communication techniques also rank high.

Regarding skills – KNOW-HOW, i.e. the application of knowledge to work activities – the most demanded of candidates is the ability to solve complex problems and manage time effectively.

As for working styles – the SAVOIR-ÊTRE, i.e. the individual attitudes that can have a positive impact on the performance of the work – flexibility, teamwork and leadership are especially required, but also reliability, proactivity and analytical thinking.

In 2021, the number of terminations on an indefinite basis was overall modest: in particular, layoffs remained at low levels even in September and October (37% lower compared to the same months in 2019). On the other hand, the first fortnight of November saw an increase in redundancies in sectors where the lockdown ended on 31 October (services and industries related to clothing, textiles and footwear). This growth, similar to what was observed after the end of the lockdown on 30 June in much of manufacturing and construction, may reflect layoffs already planned in previous months. Despite this increase, the termination rate did not deviated from pre-pandemic levels.

The period considered (May to October 2021) was supposed to herald a return to normality, and in many areas this was the case. But not for everyone. Once again, the economy directly or indirectly linked to tourism and catering and the related labour market was most affected by the chaos that the pandemic left in its wake. Another significant new factor for hoteliers, restaurants and farmers was that they did not have the usual pool of foreign residents at their disposal. A comparison shows that, with the exception of the tourism-related labour market, 2019 values were reached and often exceeded. However, the hoped-for 2021 levels extrapolated from 2019 data were not achieved. The other side of the labour market, i.e. unemployment, shows that the crisis has not left too much of a mark: after having been inflated out of all proportion, the unemployment lists have returned to virtually the same levels as in 2019. This figure is even lower in some parts of the province. This is confirmed by the unemployment rate (3.5%) based on quarterly ISTAT/ASTAT data for the period April to June 2021, which is down from a year earlier when it was 4.0% and only slightly higher than 2 years earlier (3.3%).

The labour market recorded 4.3% more employment contracts for the period from May to October 2021 than 1 year earlier. This would have marked an all-time record – because the previous highest growth over the last 23 summers (i.e. 3.6%) was recorded in 2017 and 2018  – were it not for the fact that almost all the gains can be put down to the recovery after the first summer of the pandemic. The increase compared to 2019 is actually + 0.2%. This 2‑year increase corresponds to an average annual growth of + 0.1%, which is the sum of the decline (- 3.3% on average over the 2 years) in the hotel and catering sector and average growth of + 0.7% in the other sectors. This indicates weak growth in other sectors, but still slightly better than during the global economic crisis when non-tourism sectors grew on average by + 0.5% per year between 2008 and 2013.

The economic sector whose 6-month average figures failed to return to 2019 values is therefore the hotel and restaurant sector, with an overall figure of - 6.7%.

Compared to 2019, growth is weak in agriculture (+ 0.8%), construction (+ 1.1%), manufacturing (+ 1.2%), trade (+ 1.4%), other private services (+ 1.1%), social assistance (+ 1.6%) and education (+ 1.5%). Financial and insurance activities (- 0.4%) and public administration (- 0.6%) also experienced a downswing. A significant + 5.0% rise was recorded for the healthcare workforce.

Overall, recovery levels were similar between men (+ 0.0%) and women (+ 0.3%). The main sector affected by the crisis, the tourism sector, has prevented figures returning to 2019 levels for workers and non-clerical staff in general (- 1.1%) and non-residents (- 1.4%), while the recovery for residents (+ 0.4%) has been encouraging, especially for clerical staff (+ 1.8%).

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The period considered (May to October 2021) was supposed to herald a return to normality, and in many areas this was the case. But not for everyone. Once again, the economy directly or indirectly linked to tourism and catering and the related labour market was most affected by the chaos that the pandemic left in its wake. Another significant new factor for hoteliers, restaurants and farmers was that they did not have the usual pool of foreign residents at their disposal. A comparison shows that, with the exception of the tourism-related labour market, 2019 values were reached and often exceeded. However, the hoped-for 2021 levels extrapolated from 2019 data were not achieved. The other side of the labour market, i.e. unemployment, shows that the crisis has not left too much of a mark: after having been inflated out of all proportion, the unemployment lists have returned to virtually the same levels as in 2019. This figure is even lower in some parts of the province. This is confirmed by the unemployment rate (3.5%) based on quarterly ISTAT/ASTAT data for the period April to June 2021, which is down from a year earlier when it was 4.0% and only slightly higher than 2 years earlier (3.3%).

The labour market recorded 4.3% more employment contracts for the period from May to October 2021 than 1 year earlier. This would have marked an all-time record – because the previous highest growth over the last 23 summers (i.e. 3.6%) was recorded in 2017 and 2018 – were it not for the fact that almost all the gains can be put down to the recovery after the first summer of the pandemic. The increase compared to 2019 is actually + 0.2%. This 2‑year increase corresponds to an average annual growth of + 0.1%, which is the sum of the decline (- 3.3% on average over the 2 years) in the hotel and catering sector and average growth of + 0.7% in the other sectors. This indicates weak growth in other sectors, but still slightly better than during the global economic crisis when non-tourism sectors grew on average by + 0.5% per year between 2008 and 2013.

The economic sector whose 6-month average figures failed to return to 2019 values is therefore the hotel and restaurant sector, with an overall figure of - 6.7%.

Compared to 2019, growth is weak in agriculture (+ 0.8%), construction (+ 1.1%), manufacturing (+ 1.2%), trade (+ 1.4%), other private services (+ 1.1%), social assistance (+ 1.6%) and education (+ 1.5%). Financial and insurance activities (- 0.4%) and public administration (- 0.6%) also experienced a downswing. A significant + 5.0% rise was recorded for the healthcare workforce.

The average number of people registered on employment agency lists during the period May-October 2021 was 15 787, + 2 894 (+ 22.4%) more than in the same period in 2019, i.e. before Alto Adige was hit by the pandemic. This value is the result of two summer seasons that could not have been more different: a significant increase of + 54% (+ 7 000 people) from summer 2019 to the ‘pandemic’ summer of 2020 and a subsequent decrease of - 4 100 (- 20%) people registered for the current season.

The late start of the summer season in tourism is the main reason for the rise in unemployment: 90% of the + 3 000 unemployed people registered in summer 2021 are from the HORECA sector and related services. For various reasons, many of the ‘seasonal unemployed’, i.e. people who are registered as unemployed only during the periods between individual seasons, have not been able to return to work as usual. They number 4 300, representing an increase of + 50.2% (+ 1 438) compared to 2019. The number of older unemployed people (aged over 50) has also increased significantly: + 30.3%, or an average of 4 465 people. The same applies to the long-term unemployed, who doubled in number between the summer semesters of 2019 and 2021. A comparison with summer 2019 shows that the average monthly number of unemployed people did not begin to approach pre-pandemic levels until the end of the current season. As of May 2021, + 6 385 (+ 36.6%) more people were still registered as unemployed compared to the same month of 2019. This difference has fallen for October: + 8.6% (+ 1 235), with some parts of the province falling even below the pre-pandemic level.

Val Venosta, Val Pusteria (including Val Badia) and Lower Atesina are performing particularly well. The two employment districts of Silandro (+ 7.9%; + 53) and Brunico (+ 5.6%; + 131) showed only a slight increase in the number of unemployed people compared to summer 2019 while the Egna district (- 12%) achieved the same level. By October, i.e. the end of the current observation period, the unemployment numbers recorded for these districts were even lower than 2 years previously (Silandro: - 33; - 4.8%; Brunico: - 118; - 3.8%; Egna: - 45; - 10.5%). The situation is different for Merano and the surrounding municipalities, which bore the greatest brunt of the late start of the summer tourist season, with + 46.9% (+ 370) and + 62.2% (+ 544) unemployed, respectively, compared to 2019. Bolzano (+ 17.1%; + 528) and the municipalities that are part of the same district (+ 19.9%; + 439), as well as the district of Bressanone, which includes Vipiteno (+ 21.5%; + 281), achieved average increase levels for the province: + 22.4% compared to the 2019 summer season.

The Autonomous Province of Trento has a resident population of just over 540 000.

The most recent figures available (December 2020) indicate 71.1% in work (men: 76.8%, women: 65.5%), an employment rate of 67.3% (men: 73.1%, women: 61.5%), while the unemployment rate was 5.3% (men: 4.7%, women: 5.9%). These data have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to change as vaccinations increase.

A breakdown of employment by activity sector in the province of Trento shows the predominance of the tertiary sector (71.3%) compared to agriculture (3.1%) and industry (25.6%).

The service (tertiary) sector is large and includes employees in trade, tourism/hotels, the public sector, banking/insurance, the self-employed and business services.

In the secondary sector, most employees are in manufacturing (industrial or crafts). Small and medium-sized enterprises dominate the production structure of the province of Trento. There are fairly few major production centres.

In summary, the distinguishing features of the local production structure are the leading role of the crafts sector, the prevalence of small-sized enterprises and the large proportion – higher than in the rest of the north-east and in Italy as a whole – of service enterprises, in particular in the hotel and catering sector. The province of Trento thus lacks those large companies by which territories identify themselves (as is the case in several parts of the north-west).

The labour market in Trento has a certain attraction for migrant workers (either sedentary or seasonal), while commuting is rather limited (mainly from and to the neighbouring provinces of Bolzano and Verona).

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Although agriculture makes up a small percentage of Trento’s employment, it boasts quality produce (apples, grapes) and displays good employment growth; this sector shows a marked split between seasonal harvesting work with a strong presence of foreign workers and workers employed all year round, mainly highly specialised technicians (often young farmers holding a relevant diploma or degree). Activity in this sector was not disrupted by the pandemic at the beginning of the year.

The tourism sector (hotels, restaurants and catering) is a major contributor to the Trento economy.  It is very seasonal (with high seasons in both summer and winter in the mountain areas and one long season from April to October on Lake Garda) and provides a significant share of employment, especially in the valleys. In the most tourism-oriented areas, workers from outside Trento Province are frequently hired and often provided with accommodation. In the accommodation and catering sector the occupations in highest demand were: cooks, German and/or English-speaking restaurant and bar waiters, and hotel receptionists with knowledge of German, English and a third language.

The lockdown had a significant effect on both this sector and other services involving proximity between suppliers and consumers, including trade, personal services, recreational services, sports and membership organisations.

Currently (beginning of June 2021) expectations for the summer season are high and accommodation facilities are encountering difficulties in recruiting staff; this seems to be linked to workers leaving tourism for other sectors and to the possible difficulties experienced by workers arriving from abroad.

In the industrial/crafts sector, the occupations which have a certain appeal are technicians (surveyors, engineers), skilled blue-collar workers and workers in export-related activities.  ICT professionals are highly sought-after and difficult to find in the Trentino region.

In the mining and construction industry, most vacancies are for low-skilled work. These two sectors have been shrinking for some years now.

Overall, employment in services in the wider sense remained largely stable in public administration, business services and care services (e.g. carers).

The employment situation in Trentino, which is generally fairly good, has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the more vulnerable workers, especially in tourism and public establishments such as bars and restaurants. The greatest difficulties are faced by low-skilled workers, young people who have dropped out of school and, to some extent, those with secondary school diplomas and university graduates in certain non-technical subjects. It should be noted that for some people (in particular for some young secondary school diploma holders and university graduates), the difficulty lies in finding employment matching their educational path, with some of these ending up in jobs not appropriate to their training. On the other hand, young people without a secondary school diploma and low-skilled workers often experience difficulties in finding employment, irrespective of qualifications or sector, and in some cases they might become long-term unemployed or return to their countries of origin. This trend has worsened due to the COVID-19 emergency.

The Veneto region stands out for having a strongly rooted entrepreneurial system, centred around the key role of small and medium-sized enterprises and characterized by a high level of organisational flexibility.

Veneto is among the leading Italian regions in terms of the number of businesses, with 472 768 registered companies and 424 991 active companies in Q4 2022. The region’s economic-production system is highly open to internationalisation, with a strong export orientation, and has many leading companies in various industries. Manufacturing specialisations in traditional and mature sectors coexist with technological and innovative activities, with clusters of manufacturing activities operating in specific production chains, often organised into districts. Some examples of leading companies in their respective sectors and districts include Luxottica, Nice, Texa, Geox, De’Longhi, Calzedonia, Lafert Group, Rigoni di Asiago and Maschio Gaspardo.

In recent years, while there has been a sharp drop in the number of industrial enterprises due to the crisis and the ongoing reorganisation and selection processes, there has been strong growth in the number of service sector enterprises in particular, where the largest number of active enterprises can now be found – around 59% of the total – concentrated mainly in the tourism and trade sectors, but also in business and personal services.

Agriculture continues to be an important sector for the entire regional economy, with activities based on a series of excellent supply chains. However, the sector continues to experience a gradual decline in the number of enterprises, accounting for 14% of the total in 2022, a trend linked both to ongoing changes in the use of agricultural land and to the streamlining and amalgamation processes between enterprises.

ISTAT data for Q3 2022 show an employment volume of 2.148 million (2.145 million in Q3 2019), of which 1.226 million are male and 992 million are female. The number of people in employment stands at 1.683 million (1 695 in Q3 2019). The employment rate for the 15-64 age group was 67.8% (67.3% in Q3 2019). The number of people seeking employment totals 77 000 (114 000 in Q3 2019), 37 000 of whom are men and 40 000 women. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% (5.1% in Q3 2019).

As economic-production systems transform and sectors evolve and adapt to the labour market, there is a progressive erosion of the traditional sector boundaries, leading to a more fluid and interconnected scenario. Against a backdrop of increasing job discontinuity, greater flexibility in both employer and worker demands, the content of work is also changing and roles and tasks combining various skills are becoming more prevalent.

The labour market is taking the shape of an hourglass, where highly specialised and non-specialised professions represent the top and bottom, and ‘intermediate’ professions are becoming scarcer. The growing complexity of labour demand, as well as the different needs of companies and workers, have led to a significant increase in ‘labour shortage’ situations also in the Veneto regional labour market. The of mismatch is accentuated by ongoing transformations and a rapidly changing environment, and while it is a multidimensional phenomenon, it has much to do with the issue of skills, which are becoming increasingly hybrid and blended. For many of the existing and new jobs, specialist technical knowledge specific to each profession needs to be integrated with IT and digital skills, social networking communication and interaction skills, and ways of working together in less hierarchical, more technological and dynamic working environments.

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At the end of 2022, in Veneto, the difference between the number of hires and the number of terminations of employment contracts resulted in a positive balance of 29 000 people, driven by an 8% growth in hires compared to the pre-COVID period. Looking at job profiles, between 2019 and 2022 there was a rise in the recruitment of white-collar workers (+ 21%) and academic staff (+ 37%) particularly for school positions. There was also a moderate increase in the hiring of semi-skilled workers and operators (+ 10%), technical professions (+ 7%) and skilled service professions (+ 4.5%).

With regard to types of employment contract, 2022 was a period that saw the contrast between fixed-term contracts and indefinite-term contracts stand in stark relief: while the former decreased, the latter grew – thanks to new hirings and the transformation of existing contracts.

Regarding the planned personnel placements for the next quarter (May-July 2023), Veneto-based companies are expected to make almost 145 350 new hires. One quarter of these will be fixed-term, permanent or apprenticeship contracts, while the remaining portion will be temporary (fixed-term or other contracts with a predefined duration).

In terms of professional roles, the two most in-demand categories account for 62% of the total new hires: 31% will be skilled workers and plant operators and another 31% commercial and service professions. Out of the total expected new hires, 15% will be for managers, specialists and technicians, another 15% for unskilled generic profiles and, finally, 8% will be for clerical roles.

Looking at what happened in Venetian companies at the end of 2022, based on the production sector to which they belong, recruitment grew by + 12% in industry, with particularly positive changes shown in the engineering sector (+ 21%) and in the ‘other industries’ in the chemical-plastic-pharmaceutical field. In services, growth was + 10%, and in personal services in particular (+ 27%). On the other hand, recruitment decreased in agriculture, where there was a decrease of - 12% compared to 2019.

Compared to the labour intake planned by companies in the Veneto region in the next quarter (May-July 2023), almost 70% of the placements will be in the services sector and the remaining 30% in industry. Looking in detail at the sectors, the expected hirings are mainly in manufacturing (especially metalworking and electronic industries, metallurgy and metal products, textile clothing and food industries), followed by accommodation, catering and tourism services, and finally business services. Forty-three% of new hires will be made by companies with less than 9 employees, while 31% will be in small to medium-sized companies (10-49 employees), 15% will be for large companies with more than 250 employees.

In terms of the territories, the province of Venice is the territory with the highest expected number of recruitments (mainly in the field of tourism and catering), followed by Verona (in tourism, but also in manufacturing and services) and Padua (advanced services and manufacturing). After this, there is Vicenza and Treviso (both mainly in the manufacturing sector), Belluno (tourism) and Rovigo (manufacturing and tertiary sector).

The autonomous region FVG is located in the north-eastern part of Italy and has one of the highest rates of employment in 2022 (68.5%). It has shown constant growth in the number of employed from 2018 to date, rising from around 507 000 to 520 517 (+ 2.6%), marking a record high in the historical series from the 1990s to the present. The region has a population of approximately 1.2 million inhabitants, with an active population (15-64 age group) of almost 752 000, comprising, as mentioned above, the 520 000 in employment, 29 000 unemployed and around 202 700 inactive individuals of working age.

The potential workforce is shrinking due to clear demographic regression, particularly in the cohorts entering the labour market. The proportion of the population of 15 and below is around 15%, which is exactly half that of the over-64s, who account for almost 30% of the population. Despite this, the younger age groups (up to 34 years of age) have grown significantly due to the high GDP growth in 2021 (+ 7%) and 2022 (+ 3%), although they still represent less than half of the total employed population. More specifically, the composition of the employed by age group in 2022 is as follows: the 15-24 year olds account for a total of 24 246 (4.7% of the total, + 21.3% compared to 2018), the 25-34 year olds total 89 569 (17.2% of the total, with a growth of + 6.1% compared to 2018; the 35-49 age group comprises over 197 000 employed people (27.9% of the total, a reduction of 7.4%), while the 50-64 year olds has over 192 000 employed, representing 36.9% of the total, up 9.7%. The age group that is thinning the most is the middle one, due to the demographic effect described above. This will likely lead to an increase in the entry of younger age groups in the coming years (provided that labour demand remains high) and a tendency towards an aging workforce with a significant number of retirements.

The employment rate is among the lowest in the Italian regions, at 5.4%.

The FVG region has the most significant share of its workforce in the manufacturing sector (almost 130 000 people employed, or around one in four workers), while the construction sector employs 31 480 people (+ 3.3% compared to 2021). These sectors have evolved considerably from a technological point of view and are important sectors both for the skilled workers component and for technicians and those with engineering and business management/economic skills. The tertiary sector, both traditional and advanced, on the other hand, absorbs most of the supply: the tourism sector employs around 96 000 people, and the other services almost 250 000. Here again, there is still a strong differentiation between sectors with respect to gender and labour market precariousness: export-oriented sectors with high value-added production are predominantly male-dominant and offer more advantageous employment conditions. Conversely, in general terms, the traditional and advanced tertiary sector employs mostly women, often in involuntary part-time work.

The production structure remains ‘traditional’ on the whole, based on industrial cluster systems, albeit less integrated than in the past, i.e. with large multinational players, but collaborating extensively with medium-sized and small businesses. The majority of companies do not exceed an average of 15 employees.

Overall, the most sought-after profiles are specialists and technicians in marketing, industrial production, IT and business management. The demand for labour in these fields is quite high, making recruitment challenging. There is also a significant share of more generic professions with medium to low qualifications, especially in the tourism and traditional retail sectors.

Note on ‘commuters’ (cross-border workers)

The Friuli Venezia Giulia region borders directly with two Member States, Slovenia and Austria, and indirectly with a third Member State, Croatia. This border is defined as ‘indirect’ even though the distance separating Italy and Croatia is only 20 km. It is therefore possible to understand how the phenomenon of cross-border commuting is complex, involving flows between 4 countries. The most significant flow is observed between FVG and Slovenia, estimated at a daily number of approximately 12 000 cross-border workers.

There are structured services in this border area with a specific focus on cross-border commuting, managed through digital and physical access points in the border territories. These services provide support and protection to employers and mobile workers in the area, including access to the job market, recruitment, social security, taxation, and information on living and working conditions. An Infodesk network offers free access to services provided by public employment services, social partners to protect workers, and patronages and social partners to support employers. The cross-border region between Italy and Slovenia, conventionally known as the ‘EURADRIA region’, includes the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (NUTS 2 ITH4) and three Slovenian statistical regions (Goriška, NUTS 3 SI043, Obalno-KRAŠKA, NUTS 3 SI044, Notranjsko-KRAŠKA, NUTS 3 SI038).

The most developed sectors in the border area are agriculture and seasonal work, the maritime/naval sector, building and construction, tourism and hospitality, home and domestic care, innovation and research.

A one-stop shop portal has been set up to offer information support and assistance to workers and employers interested in learning more and/or accessing specific services (www.euradria.eu). The portal is available in 3 languages: Italian, Slovenian and English.

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As mentioned earlier, given the increase in demand, job opportunities are available across all sectors of the economy, albeit with some differences to consider. Manufacturing, in particular, is concentrated in sub-sectors representing a significant portion of production and exports, including metalworking and components, the production and marketing of industrial plants and robots, and the wood industry. The ICT sector is also experiencing significant development, particularly with a ‘network’ system to support larger industries as well as medium-sized and small enterprises. Employment opportunities are quite widespread, including during the summer season, in the tourism sector (not only cooks or hotels, but also in incoming and customer assistance professions) and in wholesale and retail trade. The transportation and logistics sectors are also worth mentioning.

Note on the bordering areas (‘commuters’/cross-border workers)

The most developed sectors in the cross-border area between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Slovenia are agriculture and seasonal work, the maritime/naval sector, building and construction, tourism and hospitality, home and domestic care, innovation and research.

A one-stop shop portal has been set up to offer information support and assistance to workers and employers interested in learning more and/or accessing specific services (www.euradria.eu). The portal is available in 3 languages: Italian, Slovenian and English.

The FVG/Austria border area is made up of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and the Austrian state of Carinthia (NUTS AT21). With respect to the most relevant employment sectors, the mechanical/mechatronics field stands out as the most significant, followed by the tourism/seasonal sector.

The last 3 years, and quite probably also the upcoming years, are a very favourable period for the regional economy. Unemployment is at relatively low levels, as we have seen, and is still concentrated on women, young precarious workers and people with low professional qualifications and generic professions.

The labour market situation in Liguria in Q3 2020 was influenced by Government measures aimed at containing the health emergency caused by COVID-19.

Compared with the previous year, labour market data for 2020 show:

• a fall in the employment rate
• a fall in the unemployment rate
• a decrease in the workforce
• an increase in the inactive population

Liguria’s employment rate has dropped from 65.1% to 64.5%.

 In 2020, Liguria saw a reduction in the workforce compared to 2019 (- 3.1%, amounting to a drop of around 21 000). This was mainly concentrated in the first three quarters of the year. According to ISTAT data, employment in Liguria fell from 628 944 in Q3 2019 to 617 575 in Q3 2020 (- 1.8%). The decline was more marked in the north and in Italy as a whole (north-west: - 2.6%, - 184 734 people; north-east: - 2.1%, - 111 513 people; Italy: - 2.6%, - 621 709 people).

At the same time, there was an increase in the inactive population (of 1.4%, equivalent to around 12 000 people), and this was also particularly marked in the first 9 months of the year. The result was a total decline in the working population of around 9 000.

As far as the workforce is concerned, there was a decrease in the number of employed people (of - 1.7%, or around 11 000 fewer people) and those seeking employment (of - 16.2%, or around 11 000 fewer people).

As for the inactive population, there was an increase in all categories except for those not actively seeking work but available to work (- 2 000 people, or - 7.7%) and those aged under 15 who are not in the labour force (- 3 000 people, or - 1.7%).

The number of people working on a self-employed basis in trade, hotels and restaurants rose by 11.7% (6 994 workers).

In 2020 in Liguria, the number of NEETs (young people Not in Employment, Education or Training) in the 15-24 age bracket rose by 20.3% compared to 2019 (an increase of + 3 434 people), reaching 20 326. In the north-west, the increase in NEETs aged 15-24 was 20.7% (+ 40 752 people). In Liguria, the number of NEETs in the 15-29 age group increased by 13.8% (+ 4 927 people) and totalled 40 656 people in 2020. In the north-west, the increase over the same period was 18.7% (65 569 people).

LIGURIA REGION Active Labour Policy Service

Alfaliguria Labour Market Observatory

Unicamere – Excelsior

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The negative trend at sectoral level was mainly due to the services sector, where employment fell by 2.4%. The sector accounts for more than 78% of Ligurian employment. industry also experienced a contraction in employment (of 0.4%) and the growth – recorded in agriculture alone (+ 14.2%) – was not enough to offset these losses.

Cresce l’occupazione in agricoltura del 22,5% (+2.467 unità) e nell’industria (+2,6%, +2.980 unità) principalmente per effetto degli occupati nel manifatturiero (+3,8%, +2.957 unità), mentre le costruzioni rimangono stabili (+0,1%, +24 unità);  nei servizi l’occupazione scende del 3,3% (-16.818 unità) nonostante il +0,9% di commercio, alberghi e ristoranti (+1.403 unità);

Compared to 2019, 2020 saw a decline in new hires in Liguria across all tourism-related activities, although the highest losses, in percentage terms, were in travel agencies and tourism assistance (- 56.7%, - 55 workers).

Restaurants, bars and ice-cream parlours also experienced a reduction in activity due to a shorter tourist season and lower customer influx, registering a decrease in new hires of over 16% in 2020.

In the hotel sector, there were 14.1% fewer employees than in 2019, and the same trend was observed in the letting of rooms and B&Bs (- 23.1%).

Compendium of Occupations www.laboratorioprofessioni.it

Unioncamere Excelsior system https://excelsior.unioncamere.it

The number of active jobseekers registering at the Job Centres increased by 20.8%. Within this category, women represent 72.2% of the total. The available workers are mainly in the tourism sector (hotels and catering in particular) which, due to the protracted health emergency, the reduction in travel and the closure of various activities, has seen a contraction in the number of employed people and/or in the length of employment. These are largely unskilled but experienced seasonal workers.

There is also a surplus of available workers in the education, teaching and the arts and human science in the education sectors.

Sources: Liguria Job Centres Observatory

Alfaliguria Labour Market

 Compendium of Occupations www.laboratorioprofessioni.it

Unioncamere Excelsior system https://excelsior.unioncamere.it

Emilia-Romagna is home to 4.43 million people, of whom about 2.12 million are active in the labour market and represent 73.5% of the population of 15-64 years. This represents one of the highest percentages among the Italian regions, but it’s still 1,1 points below the 2019 level due to the Covid19 pandemic in last 3 years.

After the crisis of 2020, the years 2021 and 2022 have been characterized by quite good trends in the labour market. Compared to 2019, the number of working people decreased by 1.2%, but job seekers also decreased by 11.0%, due to a 2.2% growth in the inactive population in the two years.

The decrease in jobs is worse for women (-1.9%) than male (-0.7%). Looking into trends in various sectors compared to 2019, the worst is agriculture, which lost 8.3% of its jobs, followed by commerce (including hotels and restaurants) which lost 5.3% of its jobs, then manufacturing (-1.8%) and other services (-1.3%). On the other hand, construction increased by 22.3%.

The overall unemployment rate in 2022 was 5.1%. Unemployed women represent 6.2% of the active female population, while the male unemployment rate is estimated at 4.2%. Compared to the national average, these values are very low.

Within the region, the territories of Bologna (3.1%) and Forlì-Cesena (4.1%) are those that present a lower level of unemployment, while the worst unemployment rate is in Ferrara (8.3%), which is historically the area with the worst job market.

The economic system remains mainly characterized by small and medium sized enterprises. The main production chains in the region are: machinery, automobiles, agriculture and food-processing machinery, construction, fashion, health, culture and creativity. The individual sectors of the supply chains are linked together through supply relationships or interdependence along the value chain, and they are supported by a research and development system made up of a mix of specialist centers, including universities.

Tourism, connected to the seaside, mountain sites and art cities, is another central sector in the regional economy, and it has made a full recovery after the 2020 crisis.

In the regional job market, 25.8% of workers are self-employed, while employees represent 74.2%.

Labor mobility is also high among unskilled professions and commerce and service activities, although the service activities sector has grown significantly during the last few years, together with education and training specialized professions, mathematical sciences, informational technology and engineering.

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According to the Excelsior analysis for the May-July 2023 period, regional companies have scheduled the new hiring of 147,860 professionals, of whom 81% will have fixed-term contracts and 19% permanent ones.

These new positions are mostly in the services sector (73%) with enterprises employing fewer than 50 people (63%).

Specifically, the top categories of the ranking by sectors list tourism (27%), followed by manufacturing (22%), business services (21%), personal services (13%), commerce (11%) and construction (6%).

These are professionals to be hired mainly in commercial and services areas, (39%) or production and in the management of production plants (28%). There was little interest in jobs without specific qualifications (17%) or managers, specialists and technicians (15%). One in three might relate to people younger than 30.

Many companies indicate that they will have difficulties identifying the professionals they need, among jobseekers (49% of cases), especially in the technical field (61%).

The territory with the lowest unemployment rate in 2022 is Bologna (3.6%) in the central Emilia area, but also Forlì-Cesena (4.1%) and Reggio Emilia (4.4%) are lower than the regional average.

These are areas of the region where the share of people seeking work is much lower than the north-eAst areas, especially Ferrara (8.3%).

However, the average regional unemployment rate (5.1%) remains significantly lower than the Italian average (8.2%).

Forecasts for 2023 indicate a decreasing unemployment rate in all regional areas due to the expected increase in gross domestic product and the development of Next Generation EU program for public investment. Uncertainty remains due to the Ukraine situation.

Comment

In 2022 the signs of an economic trend reversal stabilized after the very difficult 2020 characterized by the pandemic.

Now all the Region can be considered a fruitful territory for young foreign jobseekers, who mainly have technical skills.

In Tuscany, we are witnessing a gradual return to normality after the years marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The observed dynamics show that the recovery from the crisis has been faster and more intense than in previous downturns, mainly due to the expansionary nature of national and regional fiscal policies. Putting the equivalent of 94 000 jobs on furlough during the pandemic, along with the ban on dismissals, contributed to the overall resilience of employment and streamlined the return to work. Tuscany has now regained its pre-COVID-19 employment level (+ 2 000 employees year-on-year compared with 2019), although the job opportunities created are mainly temporary.

Compared to the national average, Tuscany shows higher employment rates and lower unemployment rates for almost all socio-demographic population strata. However, some problems can be identified in the medium-long term outlook and the characteristics of the employed population.

For more than a decade, employment growth–leaving aside the pandemic – has not kept pace with output. The result is a sluggish labour market in terms of the volume and profitability of the labour force used. Data from the National Social Insurance Institute (INPS) shows that prior to the advent of COVID-19, even in the years of recovery, 90% of the growth in wages could be attributed to higher employment, while the increase in individual wages accounted for only 10%. However, this increase in employment was accompanied by a substantial reduction in working time, meaning that around 6% of the employed population was underemployed. The Tuscan labour market has shown resilience in job retention, more so than in Italy as a whole, but at the cost of reduced labour intensity and profitability.

Tuscany is also faced with youth and gender problems, as well as the goal of increasing the skill content of the work requested.

Six out of every 100 jobseekers under 30 years of age are unable to find a job, and there is an additional 4% of discouraged young people who have stopped seeking employment.  Apart from these two components, the weakest share of this population is made up of people who are neither looking for work nor willing to do so. They are therefore disengaged, or simply inactive, and account for around 6% of young people. Overall, 16% of young people belong to the NEET category, i.e. boys and girls who are not in education, employment or training. Two variables impact the NEET rate: early drop-outs from education and the relative number of graduates. The first variable fuels the number of NEETs, while the latter contains it (the incidence of NEETs among graduates is very low). Tuscany’s early drop-out rate is in line with European targets, but its graduate rate is lower than the European average, with only 28% of 25-34 year-olds possessing a tertiary degree compared to the EU average of 40%.

On the gender issue, the proportion of women in work has increased significantly over the years, but the employment rate of women is still 14 percentage points lower than that of men. This difference is particularly high (- 22 percentage points) in the 30-39 age group, i.e. the age when women decide to have children, when the figure is 68% for women compared with 89% for men. Women also face the problem of being concentrated in certain jobs, particularly care and personal services, while they are under-represented in professions with higher remuneration and career prospects (apart from the government sector).

The last, more general consideration, concerns the type of work required by the Tuscan economic system. As elsewhere in Italy, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises and tourism, professions with qualifications in the service industry (cooks, waiters, sales workers) and manufacturing (workers and technicians in production) prevail. 66% of the volume of work is carried out by the middle-ranking professions (employees, skilled service occupations, skilled workers and plant operators), 24% by unskilled professions and 10% by high-ranking professions (managers, intellectual and technical professions).  Tuscany is also affected by trends leading to polarisation of the labour market. These reduce the number of middle-ranking professions, especially the more routine ones, and increase the number of jobs at either end of the scale.

In the Tuscan production system (and in many respects the Italian system as a whole), the challenge is to foster digital innovation and upskilling, while also enhancing the manual skills, dexterity, creativity and originality that typify many professions relying on Italian master craftsmanship. Our task is to retain our low and high-tech professions and skills, injecting a dose of innovation into the existing elements of originality, creativity, know-how, insight and intuition encoded in our DNA.

The end of the pandemic and the resurgence that we are witnessing could lead workers to switch sectors. This trend could be supported by an acceleration in processes of technological change and environmental sustainability. These processes are also enshrined in the NRRP guidelines, which advocate new skills and occupational roles and the required training.

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In the labour market, the number of jobs lost during the pandemic began to recover significantly from mid-May 2021, as restrictions introduced to limit the spread of the pandemic came to an end. The third and fourth quarters marked the return of employment to pre-COVID levels: nearly + 16 000 hires in the last 6 months of the year compared to the same period in 2019 and + 10 000 employees. The divergent trend observed in the two 6-month periods – unfavourable in the first and positive in the second – resulted in an equally divergent annual balance between job placements (- 53 000) and employees (+ 1 961) compared to 2019. The share of fixed-term contracts with one or more extensions increased significantly compared to 2019, both in the first half of the year (from 21% to 30%) and in the second half (from 17% to 20%). This apparent contradiction is explained by a lengthening in the actual duration of fixed-term contracts, particularly in the first half of the year (32 days more than the average duration for the same period in 2019).

Looking at the changes in the number of employees in 2021 by macro-sector compared with 2019, it can be seen that the positive result was driven by the construction industry, where employment growth did not stop even in 2020 (+ 7 000) and the public sector, particularly education (+ 8 000 employees) and healthcare (+ 3 000).

Private services are significantly lagging behind the level observed in 2019. This is particularly true of tourism-related services, which lost 13 000 people, and in the retail sector, where the number of people employed fell by just under 2 500. One of the few positive exceptions is IT services, which grew by 7 percentage points. In 2021, manufacturing, as a whole, made up for the loss of jobs recorded in 2020, although trends differed across groups of sectors. On the one hand, the number of employees in sectors relying on Italian master craftsmanship are still lower than before COVID-19 (- 3.4%; - 5 000 employees); while the numbers employed in mechanical, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors have overtaken pre-pandemic levels by around 5 000 people (+ 4.3%).

In Tuscany, as in the rest of Italy, the protracted COVID-19 emergency led to a far-reaching recession, with significant consequences for the labour market and employment income, overlapping with and exacerbating existing contradictions and widening social and territorial disparities. We face many diverse challenges, the chief ones being: to contain and buffer situations of disadvantage present in this region, particularly regarding young people and the complications surrounding their inclusion in the labour market; to reduce gender inequalities by supporting female employment in terms of quantity (more women in employment) and quality (more stable occupations and careers that are less discontinuous and fragmented, greater presence in the top professions and not only in sectors and professions that are predominantly female, where the jobs offer fewer career prospects and are more badly paid); to reduce the mismatch between labour demand and supply by supporting the qualification and retraining of workers, with a view to leveraging strategic sectors of the regional economy, local aspirations and local professional needs while supporting the economic and production system with a view to digital innovation, green issues and the circular economy; to overcome local disparities that familiar even in Tuscany, which contains significant problem areas afflicted by serious levels of adult unemployment – and to support territorial cohesion, in order to foster more balanced patterns of growth between the different areas of Tuscany. The recession of the last 2 years has also affected local systems unevenly. Sectors and workers involved in trade, international tourism, leisure activities and personal care services have been hard hit and are still struggling to achieve a gradual return to normal. Apart from the economic situation, the weakness of the business cycle in general (a national problem) has also been weakening the labour market in Tuscany over the years. Employment has grown over time, but this mostly applies to temporary, short-time jobs in low-skilled services. The volume of labour grew significantly less than output, leading to an overall situation marked by an underutilised labour force with the fastest-growing sectors including jobs with low wage growth. The system is also still affected by a situation where the supply of jobs is higher than reflected by the official statistics. This situation shows a mismatch between supply and demand for skills and job profiles. Tuscany also displays features typical of a low-growth system, in which the vital proportion of the economy (export companies, skilled jobs, advanced sectors) achieving performance levels similar to those of advanced markets, such as Germany, is too small to offset the profusion of dead wood that surrounds it, although the situation in Tuscany is not as bad as in the rest of Italy.  Active employment and training policies can be used to mitigate shortcomings and problems observed in the regions and the population, and to support social, as well as individual, recovery processes.

In Umbria, employment decreased during 2022 (- 1 951 workers; 0.6% compared to 2021). In 2020, Umbria recorded a lesser contraction in employment compared to the benchmark geographical areas (- 2.8% compared to 3% in the Centre and - 3.1% for the country as a whole). This ‘resilience’ was confirmed in 2021 by a greater increase in employment (+ 1.7% compared to + 0.4% in central Italy and + 0.8% in Italy as a whole).

In 2022, there is a slowdown in employment performance, and the contraction over the period 2019-2022 is around 6 000 people (- 1.7% compared to a modest increase in central Italy of + 0.4%, and the substantial stability of national employment).

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The decline in employment in Umbria during 2022 has affected:

• both the male and female components (the reduction is quite similar);
• workers aged between 25 and 49 (on the other hand, employment among the very young, 15-24 years, and in the older age group, 50-64 years, increased);
• people with no formal education or at most an elementary or middle school degree (- 6.4% compared to the 2021 figure);
• workers in the construction sector (- 16.5%) and, to a lesser extent, those in other service activities (- 1.5%);
• the self-employed (- 3.7%). Among the employed (which increased by 0.5%), permanent workers contracted (- 0.8%) while those with fixed-term contracts grew (+ 6.6%);
• Employees with part-time employment contracts (- 6.2%).

► The improvement in the regional labour market that began after the pandemic accelerated in 2022. For the Marche this is reflected in a sharp increase in employment (+ 3.7%) and a simultaneous reduction in the number of unemployed, which fell by 10.8%. The expansion of participation (+ 2.7% in the workforce aged between 15 and 89 years) is fuelled by a pool of inactivity (- 7.9% among 15 to 64 year-olds) but is held back by declining demographic dynamics: the population aged 15 years and above has, in fact, dropped by 6 259 people (- 0.5%) from 1 308 769 to 1 302 510 residents, of whom 629 897 are men and 672 613 women.

● The new balance between labour supply and demand is reflected in the improvement in the main summary indicators. The activity rate (participation in the labour market) fell from 69.2% in 2021 to 71.4% in 2022, the employment rate rose from 64.1% to 66.8%, the unemployment rate fell by 0.9 percentage points (from 7.1% to 6.2%) and the inactivity rate fell from 30.8% to 28.6%.

● The recovery of employment in the Marche region, driven by the male component in 2021 (+ 1.5% against a stagnation in the female component), in 2022 sees women taking the lead with more pronounced increases compared to men, in both participation (+ 4.7% vs + 1.1%) and employment (+ 5.7% and + 2.1%, respectively).

● In terms of sectors, the Marche’s employment growth in 2022 is no longer concentrated in services like it was in 2021 (with an increase of + 4.7%, adding over 17 600 jobs). Instead, the growth is attributed to the manufacturing sector, which saw an increase of over 12 000 jobs compared to the previous year (+ 7.1%) and the construction sector (+ 5 106 jobs, or + 16.3%). Employment in agriculture also increased (+ 1 878 workers). The tertiary sector, as a whole, grew by only 0.9% (adding 3 703 jobs) and this was due to the crisis in the sector where almost 4 000 jobs were lost.

● Among the provincial areas of the Marche, the employment recovery, between 2021 and 2022, is much more pronounced for the province of Ascoli Piceno (+ 8.7%), followed by the province of Macerata (+ 4.6%). However, it is still significant in the province of Pesaro and Urbino (+ 3.1%) and in the province of Ancona (+ 2.3%). It is more moderate in the province of Fermo (+ 1.7%). The regional distribution of employment is as follows: Pesaro and Urbino 24.7%, Ancona 31.1%, Macerata 19.8%, Ascoli Piceno 13.5% and Fermo 11.2%.

► In 2022, there were 140 066 active businesses in the Marche region, down 3.9% on the previous year.

● Capital companies amount to 33 642 people and represent 24.0% of the total stock. There are 23 137 partnerships (16.5%); sole proprietorships, largely artisanal, represent the most common form of enterprise (80 516 people with a share of 57.5%), while the other forms, predominantly in the cooperative sector, number just under 3 000.

● From a sectoral point of view, tertiary activities prevail with 79 281 enterprises; its spread, however, is considerably lower than at national level (56.6% and 61.9%). The three most important sectors are trade (31 750 enterprises in retail, wholesale and vehicle repair), catering services (8 173) and real estate activities (7 610). There are 22 992 active enterprises in agricultural cultivation and production of animal products, followed, in order of number, by construction companies, which are just above those in the manufacturing sector (18 713 and 18 137 people, respectively). Among the latter are the manufacture of leather goods (2 908), the manufacture of metal products (2 468) and Food Industries (1 615).

► In 2022, companies located in the region hired 339 656 people, an increase of 9.0% compared to 2012.

● Among the most active sectors on the labour market are business services with 57 868 hirings, catering (51 174) and the residual component of the services sector (42 194). In education, there were 38 636 recruitments, while in primary activities there were 21 846 hirings, and in trade 20 378. Among the manufacturing industries there is greater dynamism in leather et footwear (6 005), METAL AND METAL PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING (6 000) and food industries (5 970).

● The most sought-after qualification is the upper secondary school diploma, which allows access to university (just under 109 000 hires in 2022); there are approximately 32 000 hires of workers with a university degree (old and new system).

● Among the occupations most sought after by businesses in 2022 are those in accommodation and catering service activities (59 107 new jobs), non-qualified roles in trade and services (42 937) and specialist roles in training and research (29 209).

Below is the list of the top 30 companies in the Marche region by revenue in 2021, provided by the Merloni Foundation.

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► In the first 5 months of 2023, according to the Unioncamere-ANPAL Excelsior Information System, the number of companies planning new hirings in the Marche region has increased and the overall number of expected job entrances has also risen sharply. Labour demand growth is concentrated in manufacturing and construction, but is also sustained for services. However, many Marche-based companies that wish to hire often struggle to find workers with the right profiles for their needs.

● In May 2023, for example, this mismatch is expected in 48% of cases. For this same month, 11% of recruitments will be for managers, specialists and technicians (17% in Italy); 35% of cases they will involve young people under the age of 30, and 16% of the hiring needs will be met by immigrants. For contract types, 19% of new entrants will be stable, i.e. permanent or apprenticeship contracts; the remaining 81% will be fixed-term, i.e. temporary or fixed-duration contracts.

● Extending the forecasting period to the May-July quarter of 2023, based on the figures provided by the Unioncamere-Anpal, Excelsior information system, the number of expected hirings by companies will be 44 560, slightly lower than in the same period last year. Of these, 14 920 will take place in industry (11 740 in manufacturing and public utilities, 3 180 in construction) and 29 640 in services (trade 4 890, accommodation, catering and tourism services 13 530, business services 5 630, personal services 5 580). Most of these recruitments will be made by enterprises with less than 50 employees (33 520); in medium-sized enterprises (50-249 employees), the likely entries will be just under 7 000, while in those with over 250 employees the anticipated demand for labour will be around 4 000.

► According to the 2022 Istat average, the number of unemployed persons in Marche stands at 42 036, which is 10.8% down on the previous year.

● The distribution of jobseekers across the regional territory shows 8 186 in the province of Pesaro and Urbino (19.5% of the regional total), 16 399 in Ancona (39.0%), 8 155 in Macerata (19.4%), 6 156 in Ascoli Piceno (14.6%) and 3 141 in Fermo (7.5%).

● As of 30 June 2022, there were 86 021 citizens registered in the ‘administrative unemployment’ lists of the Job Centres (i.e. people who have issued a declaration of immediate availability for work); they include 5 894 members of the Youth Guarantee programme, 36 538 NASpI recipients and 8 099 with Citizenship Income. The regional total is divided territorially by the following percentages: Pesaro and Urbino 21.4%, Ancona 28.9%, Macerata 19.8%, Ascoli Piceno 17.2% and Fermo 12.7%.

● According to INPS source data, in the course of 2022, the sectors that made the most use of the wage guarantee fund and might have difficulty maintaining their staff numbers were the automotive, machinery and equipment manufacturing sectors, along with metallurgy and metal products, leather and footwear, and wood and furniture. The number of wage guarantee fund applications in the tertiary sector is just 8.3% of the overall total, with trade being the sector most affected.

● According to the information from the Unioncamere-ANIPAL Excelsior Information System, the sectors that faced the greatest difficulties in recruiting personnel in 2022 were the textile, clothing and footwear industries, wood and furniture industries, metallurgical and metal products industries, automotive, machinery and equipment manufacturing, and transportation equipment manufacturing sectors. In the tertiary sector, this situation is more frequently encountered in IT and telecommunications services, advanced business support services, transport, logistics and warehousing services, as well as in health, social care and private health services.

Lazio covers an area of 17 242 km². It has 5 710 811 inhabitants (as of 28 February 2022) and its population density is 331.22 inhabitants/km².

The current socio-economic scenario is characterised by at least three major transitions that are already working in synergy with one another. These will have a profound impact on society in several respects, including a specific impact on the employment structure in the near future:

The digital transition, which will affect the ‘extensive margin’ by destroying certain jobs and creating new ones and the ‘intensive margin’ by changing the skills needed in the occupations.

The environmental transition, which is a growth strategy based on inclusion and innovation with the setting of ambitious green targets, thus encouraging the development of employment opportunities for all activities linked to renewable technologies.

The demographic transition, which is driven by demographic processes, first and foremost the ageing population, which is now a distinguishing factor of advanced (and other) economies. This has the twofold effect of changing the age composition of the (increasingly multi-generational) workforce and changing consumption and spending patterns, with the ‘silver economy’ becoming increasingly important.

These transitions will bring about significant changes in the skills and competences required in the labour market. Cross-functional skills (cognitive skills, social skills, etc.) will become increasingly important and will complement technical skills. At the same time, specific skills related to the aforementioned transitions will become increasingly ubiquitous and central. A significant portion of future occupations will require digital and/or green skills and there will be a heightened focus on demographic considerations.

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A total of between 4.1 and 4.5 million workers are expected to be in need of employment.

Of this total, 1.3-1.7 million will be determined by the economic growth component (expansion demand), while the employment requirement to replace outgoing personnel through natural turnover (replacement demand) will exceed 2.8 million.

It is estimated that managers, specialists and technicians will account for almost 40% of total needs. Green skills will be increasingly pervasive: it is estimated that between 2022 and 2026, companies and the public sector will require 2.4-2.6 million employees to possess energy-saving and environmental sustainability skills, and these skills will be of high importance in 60% of cases;

Green skills will be increasingly pervasive: it is estimated that between 2022 and 2026, companies and the public sector will require 2.4-2.6 million employees to possess energy-saving and environmental sustainability skills, and these skills will be of high importance in 60% of cases;

A comparison between supply and demand for recent graduates shows potential supply shortages in the medical and healthcare sector, in the various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields and in the economic area over the 5‑year period;

The most difficult jobs to fill:

Most of these can be categorised as skilled workers in industry and services. The mismatch in this area exceeds 50% and can even be as high as two thirds of requirements

Unfulfilled high demand for roles connected with process automation, digital and business support services (especially in manufacturing)

Some 75% of jobs are difficult to fill for some technical professions (electrical engineers and technicians) and 60% in the case of analysts and software designers

Two thirds of vacancies will be unfilled because there are no candidates. This mainly applies to technical roles, while companies consider that skilled workers do not have enough training.

 -> it is therefore important to invest in the Higher Technical Institutes (ITS), now also financed by the NRRP.

Considering the ratios (hires/anticipated entries), the difficulty in finding suitable candidates has intensified.

In terms of absolute numbers, the most difficult jobs to fill are people with manual skills (waiting staff, cooks, shop assistants, lorry and heavy goods vehicle drivers, office cleaners and masons)

‘Forecasts of employment and professional needs in Italy in the medium term (2021-2025)’

In January 2022, the number of people in employment remained broadly stable compared with the previous month; the numbers of unemployed workers fell and the number of inactive workers increased.

This stability in employment is attributed to the growth in the number of employees among men, permanent employees, under-25s and over-50s and a decline among women, temporary employees and intermediate age groups. The employment rate remains stable at 59.2%.

The number of jobseekers fell among men and for all age groups, with the sole exception of 35-49 year-olds. The unemployment rate fell to 8.8% overall and to 25.3% among young people.

An increase in the number of inactive people aged 15-64 (+ 0.6%, or + 74 000 people) was driven by the increase observed among women and under-50s. The employment rate was 35.0% (+ 0.2 points).

Comparing the November 2021-January 2022 quarter with the previous quarter (August-October 2021), the employment level was 0.5% higher, corresponding to an additional 120 000 people in employment.

The quarterly employment growth was associated with a decrease in the number of jobseekers (- 1.8%, or - 41 000) and the number of inactive people (- 1.4%, or - 188 000).

The number of people employed in January 2022 was 3.3% higher than in January 2021 (+ 729 000 people). This increase was observed for men and women, across all age groups and occupational positions. The number in work was up 2.4 percentage points.

Compared with January 2021, both the number of jobseekers (- 12.9%, or - 326 000 people) and the number of inactive people aged 15-64 fell (- 5.0%, or - 684 000).

www.istat.it

According to an analysis by CRESA – the Study Centre of the Agency for the Development of the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Sasso d’Italia – of the Istat data, the regional labour market shows clear signs of deterioration. Compared to the end of 2019 (a pre-pandemic year) in Q3 2022, the labour force in Abruzzo decreased by 34 700 people, a decline of - 6.3%, four times higher than in the centre-north (- 1.5%) and a third more than in the south (- 4.2%) (Italy: - 2.3%). This contraction was caused by a decrease of 21 300 employed, corresponding to - 4.3% (Italy: + 0.1%; centre-north: 0.0%; southern Italy: + 0.3%) and 13 500 jobseekers equivalent to - 21.8%, which is lower than the national average of - 24.1%, - 23.1% in centre-north and - 25.1% in the south. The reduction in the number of workers, in particular, is the result of a reduction of 6 300 employees by - 6.3% and an increase of 2 200 self-employed persons.

The third quarter of 2022 shows stronger declines in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, compared with national values and those in the south and the islands, both in the labour force and in the employment sector, followed by more robust recoveries in the following three quarters. However, by the end of this period, the regional labour force and employed individuals began to decrease significantly again. 2022 saw a counter-trend growth in the number of job seekers in the centre-north and the south, an increase almost nullified by the new collapse that occurred between July and September. The inactive population showed an increase above the national average and in the territorial breakdowns up to March 2021, when it showed a larger decline in the second quarter of the year and overall an increase again until September 2022. The regional activity rate, which was almost in line with the Italian activity rate at the end of 2019 (56.8% compared to 57.2%) and, despite the recovery in the April-December 2021 period, was - 2.7 p.p. at the end of September 2022 (down from 56.8% to 54.2%). This decline was more pronounced than that of the southern and insular, northern and central regions. Contrary to what can be observed elsewhere, the employment rate, which in 2019 was just over one percentage point lower than the national average, while remaining higher than the figure for southern Italy, also decreased (from 50.5% to 49.1%) and thus increased the gap compared to Italy as a whole.

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In the first three quarters of 2021, there was an 11% increase in activations compared to the corresponding period in 2020. The predominant economic sector is hotels and restaurants, which accounted for 21% of active employment relationships in 2020 and 2021. The other sectors contributing significant shares are agriculture, forestry and fishing (14% in 2020 and 12% in 2021), and other collective and personal services (13% in 2020 and 12% in 2021).

With reference to the changes in activations, the most significant sectors during the observation period included a marked increase in employment relationships in the education, health and other social services sector (+ 32%) and in the real estate, business services and other professional and entrepreneurial activities sector (+ 25%).

In Abruzzo, in Q4 2021, the number of unemployed amounted to 45 000 and in Q4 2022, this number decreased by 1 000 to 44 000. In 2022, the unemployed in Abruzzo recorded a decrease of 3.3%. This decrease places Abruzzo in 13th place in the national ranking.

During the first half of 2022, Abruzzo experienced an increase of some 14 000 unemployed persons, which it recovered in Q1, resulting in a net decrease of 1 000 by the end of the year.

The unemployment rate in Abruzzo in Q4 2021 was 8.3%, lower than the Italian average of 9.2%. However, the unemployment rate in Abruzzo decreased to 8.2% in Q4 2022, which is slightly higher than the Italian rate of 8.1%.

Throughout 2021, the recovery in production activities and the continuation of employment support measures went hand in hand, especially from Q2, with an improvement in labour market conditions in Molise and the rest of southern Italy. According to ISTAT Labour Force Survey (RFL) data available at national and regional level, average employment in southern Italy increased by 0.7% in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period the previous year (- 0.8% in Italy), although it remained 2.8 percentage points below the corresponding figure for 2019 (Figure 3.1.a). Labour market participation in Molise also saw growth, with a 12.6% increase in the number of jobseekers. This resulted in a higher unemployment rate, similar to that in the rest of the country.

The Molise region has a total population of 294 294 as at December 2021 and includes two provinces, Campobasso and Isernia, and three Job Centres in Campobasso, Termoli and Isernia. According to the latest figures dating from 2020, the employment and unemployment rate (Source ISTAT) are distributed as follows:

• Province of Campobasso: employment rate: 48.8%; unemployment rate 13.3%;
• Province of Isernia: employment rate: 60.3%; unemployment rate 7.9%.

The province of Campobasso has companies in the industrial and manufacturing, trade and service sectors. Prominent companies in the industrial sector include: Pastificio La Molisana SpA (Campobasso) and Fater SpA, chemical sector with operational headquarters in Campochiario (CB) and TeamSystem, business services sector, in the Campobasso industrial area.

In the Termoli area (CB), there is the Fiat plant and companies in the mechanical industry supply chain, Momentives SpA, operating in the plastic sector, along with other companies in the metalworking sector. In the Province of Isernia, the Industrial Hub hosts companies such as Sata SpA , a SATA Group component supplier, and Unilever in the chemical sector. Neuromed, a hospital and research sector company, is prominent in the service and healthcare sector.

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An increase in employment needs is expected from the regional business system in line with the economic recovery experienced in 2021. This will affect small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the business and personal services sector, and manufacturing and construction. Enterprises with employees in industry and services have resumed hiring at pre-pandemic levels, after a significant decline in 2020. This rapid recovery goes hand in hand with an increase in the difficulties experienced by businesses in finding the desired professional profiles. This challenge affects almost one third of the expected intake and can be attributed to the increasing level of experience and specialisation required of candidates. The greatest recruitment difficulties will be experienced for specialised occupational profiles: managers and specialists with in-depth scientific knowledge (around 40% will be difficult to find) and, in particular, skilled workers (46%). The areas are as follows: Management and general services, administrative, technical and design, goods production and service provision, commercial and sales and logistics.

Most of the available posts are in the services, industry and logistics sectors. Within the business services sector, there is a demand for profiles with middle-ranking to higher educational levels, such as accountants, IT professionals and engineers. The industrial sector needs line workers and mechanical and electrical maintenance workers, with technical qualifications and the logistics sector needs drivers with category C licences. For personal services, there is a demand for people meeting the occupational profiles of auxiliary staff, social and healthcare workers and nurses, especially in view of the pandemic emergency and the increase in illnesses among COVID-19 long-haulers and those who are unable to look after themselves.

In 2021, as a result of the pandemic emergency and a fall in tourist departures to other international states or destinations, there was a boom in summer visitors to the region, with the result that demand increased in the tourism and catering sector, but only on a seasonal basis. There was a demand for bar staff, sales assistants, cooks, chefs and restaurant and bar waiters, reflected by an increase in the number of food and drink businesses.

The services sector continues to experience demand for medium to highly-qualified workers, with language and computer skills.

Construction: the construction sector has rebounded following a sharp decline in activity recorded in the first half of last year. According to data provided by Molise-based construction workers’ social security funds, the number of hours worked in the region in the first few months of 2021 was significantly higher than before the pandemic (Fig. 2.3.a); in the first 8 months of 2021 taken as a whole, the number of hours increased by more than 20% compared with the same period of 2019 and by almost 50% compared with 2020. Business growth, which is expected to continue next year, has affected both the public works sector and residential construction. Positive effects were also observed in the latter due to the tax incentives provided by the Superbonus introduced by Decree-Law 34/2020 (‘Relaunch Decree’) to improve the energy efficiency and anti-seismic efficiency of buildings, with the attendant demand for specialist staff (mainly drivers of earth-moving machinery, construction electricians, specialised carpenters and bricklayers and plumbers).

 Healthcare: the presence of three universities offering degree courses in the healthcare professions has provided qualified staff who are available for work, be it locally or further afield.

Other sectors: administrative staff (accounting clerks); sales assistants and other commercial occupations; warehouse workers.

In Q4 2022, 1 640 000 people were in work in Campania, up by 27 000 compared to the previous quarter.

Of all employed in Q4 2022, 23.2% were self-employed, while 76.8% were employees. In addition, 83.6% worked full-time and 16.4% worked part-time.

Some 51.65% of employed persons in 2022 worked in the service sector (education, health, social services, financial, insurance and business services, public administration and defence, etc.), 14.45% in industry, 7.13% in construction, 3.84% in agriculture, forestry and fishing, and 22.93% in the trade, hotel and restaurant sector.

The majority of those in employment were graduates (42%), followed by unskilled staff with low levels of education (33%) and then by staff with a university degree or post-graduate qualification (25%).

The number of unemployed people (352 000) in Q4 2022 was up by 13 000 compared to the previous quarter. The 2022 unemployment rate was 17.4%.

According to the forecast surveys conducted by the Information System for Employment and Training (Unioncamere – Excelsior Project) there is finally a significant recovery after the unprecedented impact on the Italian economy. The tourism sector, one of the main sectors in the Campania region, hard hit by the pandemic crisis, showed a positive trend of 15% compared to last year 2022, while the construction sector, business services and personal services sectors also reported positive trends compared to last year. However, the trade sector is experiencing a negative trend of 20% compared to 2022.

Based on this survey, it is expected that some 133 980 new workers will be recruited in the April-June 2023 period.

The sectors with the highest expected recruitment are:

• accommodation and catering services; tourism services (28 140)
• trade (12 030)
• construction (16 380)
• personnel services (28 900)
• business services (26 150)
• manufacturing and public utilities (22 380)

The largest number of those hired will have a fixed-term contract (61%), 20% will have an open-ended contract, while 3% will be hired with a staff leasing contract, 2% will work as collaborators, 8%will be self-employed and 4% with an apprenticeship contract.

Specifically, the five occupations in the greatest demand in April 2023, for which businesses require staff to have previous experience in the sector or occupation, are:

In the Campania region, for overall new hires:

• 81% will be in services and 74% in enterprises with fewer than 50 employees.
• 21% will be allocated to managers, specialists and technicians, which is higher than the national average (20%);
• 41 out of 100 cases will be outstanding due to lack of desired profiles;
• 30% will involve young people under the age of 30;
• 16% of graduate staff;
• 21% will concern immigrant personnel;
• They be distributed among the top three most demanded professions, accounting for 59% of the total projected entries;
• 73% of the entries will relate to the possession of specific professional experience or experience in the same field;
• They will account for 13% of the total enterprises.

Economic data and growth

In the first 9 months of 2022, Apulia’s economy continued to grow intensively, completing the recovery of the production levels lost due to the pandemic. According to the Bank of Italy’s quarterly indicator of regional economies (ITER), in the first half of 2022, economic activity was estimated to have increased by 5.6% compared with the same period last year. According to the companies interviewed in the Bank of Italy survey, the industrial sector recorded a further increase in domestic and foreign sales, despite the difficulties associated with the rising cost of energy inputs and the persisting tensions in supply chains, manifested through increases in production costs and delays or unavailability of supplies. Growth also continued in the construction sector, driven mainly by private construction, which continued to benefit from tax incentives for building renovation. The increase in activity was accompanied by an increase in transactions and house prices. The public works sector also contributed to the positive dynamics of the sector. The growth of the services sector benefited from the positive development of tourism.

Turnover growth was prevalent in all the main sectors, especially in textiles and clothing and metalworking.

A significant contribution to the growth of the services sector came from tourism. According to the provisional data, available for the period from June to August 2022, released by the Regional Tourism Observatory, tourist flows to Apulia amounted to 2.2 million arrivals and 10.2 million overnight stays, showing an increase of around 5.0 and 9.0%, respectively, compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021. With respect to the same period of 2019, the increase was around 4.0 and 3.0%, respectively.

In the first half of 2022, Apulia’s exports at current prices increased by 24.7% compared with the same period of the previous year, significantly higher than in 2021. The increase in the value of foreign sales was distributed among the main sectors and was particularly strong in the agri-food, steel, electrical equipment, furniture, footwear, textiles and clothing sectors.

Labour Market Observatory

The growth of the Apulian labour market continued in the first half of 2022. The number of people in employment has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while the use of wage integration instruments, although decreasing, remains high by historical standards.

According to data from Istat’s Labour Force Survey (LFS), employment grew by 6.1% on average in the first half of the year compared with the same period in the previous year, a more intense growth rate compared to the southern regions and the national average.

The increase was broadly based across the main economic sectors, in particular construction, tourism services (hotels and restaurants) and trade. In contrast to the Italian average, agricultural employment also continued to grow (Table a3.1). The positive dynamic affected both the male (7.0%) and female component (4.6%). Self-employment, which had been more affected by the pandemic crisis, increased more strongly than employed work.

The balance between recruitments and terminations was positive for both fixed-term and permanent contracts. In comparison with the first 8 months of 2021, the latter were also on the rise as a result of the conversions of fixed-term contracts already in place.

According to RFL data, labour market trends led to an increase in the employment rate by 3.3 percentage points to 48.7 in the first half of 2021. However, the indicator remains lower than the Italian average (59.8%), especially for the female component The unemployment rate fell by 3.2 percentage points to 12.0% (8.4 in Italy).

During the first half of 2022, around 57 000 applications for new social insurance for employment (NASpI) were submitted in the region by workers who lost their jobs, representing an increase of more than a quarter compared to the previous year. The increase in the number of applications has also been affected by the lifting of restrictions on terminations of employment positions, effective from the second half of 2022.

Key sectors of the Apulian economy

Wine

As at 31 December 2022, 396 Apulia holdings were active in wine production, with a clear prevalence of traditional table wine over sparkling and liqueur wine (only 15 companies). A result that, by number of enterprises, places Apulia in first place in Italy, ahead of Sicily (328) and Veneto (223). The sector employs 2 170 people and also has a considerable supply chain, both upstream and downstream. Upstream of the supply chain, there is the primary activity of cultivation of the pot. The figure – which, however, aggregates both table grapes and wine grapes – stands at 11 371 companies (third in Italy, after Veneto and Sicily) and 25 063 employees. On the other hand, there are 883 companies and 2 053 employees downstream of the value chain. It is a diverse sector and includes 79 ‘bottling and labelling’ companies. There is also business intermediation, with 359 companies active in the wholesale trade of alcoholic spirits. Finally, specialised retail, with 395 beverage retail activities.

Among the Apulian provinces, Foggia is clearly in the lead in terms of the number of wineries: 144 enterprises out of a total of 396, or 36% of the regional total. It is therefore not surprising that in the ranking of municipalities with the highest number of operators, the top five positions are occupied in order by Cerignola, Foggia, San Severo, Orta Nova and Torremaggiore. This is followed by the provinces of Bari (18% of Apulia companies) and Taranto (16%). The rest is divided more or less evenly among the other provinces (around 10% each). This demonstrates the almost uniform pervasiveness of this sector in the region. The most vibrant municipalities in Apulia in terms of number of employees are, in order: Cellino San Marco, Cerignola, Leverano, Orta Nova, San Pietro Vernotico, Manduria, Altamura, Taranto, San Severo and Ruvo di Puglia.

Horticultural production and processing

The Apulian fruit and vegetable sector has once again proved to be robust and among the most active in international markets in 2022. It recorded a remarkable export value of EUR 648 million in the first three quarters of the recently concluded year, showing a significant year-on-year growth compared to the same period of the previous year (an increase of EUR 134 million). If these data, still partial, are confirmed in Q4 2022 (soon to be published by ISTAT), the final performance for the year could potentially bring very positive surprises. In fact, a weighted estimate suggests that Apulia’s fruit and vegetable industry is heading inexorably towards the billion euro export mark. This milestone is increasingly within reach, considering the uninterrupted growth of historical series, despite the significant disruption caused by the pandemic.

Apulia also has remarkable figures in terms of the number of farms dedicated to fruit and vegetable production and the number of people employed. Taking a snapshot of Q4 2022, the region boasts 19 792 business establishments with 39 833 employees, ranking first among all regions in Italy. According to ISMEA, Apulia is first in Italy for open-air vegetable farms (vegetables not grown in greenhouses), second behind Sicily for orchards, and third for legumes. In particular, it has record numbers for peaches, table grapes and citrus fruit, while in horticultural production, it is the leader for lettuces, beans, artichokes and industrial tomatoes. However, the number of Apulian horticultural businesses and employees has decreased compared to the 2016 figure (almost 4 000 fewer companies and 5 000 fewer employees). This trend is fully in line with the national data (24 000 fewer companies and 28 000 fewer employees than in 2016) and is influenced by the increasing and concerning labour shortages and the rise of mechanisation in various agricultural operations.

Manufacturing

The progressive reduction of manufacturing enterprises is a long-term trend in Apulia as well. However, this is a phenomenon that is the result of globalisation, not a cyclical trend, and overall it has not slowed down the growth of this industry. Indeed, Apulia remains the most industrialised region in Southern Italy. Most industrial settlements are located in the Bari – Brindisi – Taranto triangle, where steelmaking and oil refining industries are situated, as well as the textile, pharmaceutical and plastic industries. Wine factories, canning plants, tobacco and oil factories are also widespread (the food processing industry is largely linked to the local primary supply chain). The regional research system supports this development, with over 5 000 researchers and scientific expertise specialised in various interdisciplinary fields: biology, aerospace, ICT and nanotechnologies. Its contribution to the emergence and consolidation of various technological districts has been important.

Mechatronics

A total of 2246 companies operate in mechatronics of Apulia: 46% work in mechanics, 19% in the production of electrical equipment, 18% in electronics, 6% in auto parts, and 11% in the production of other transport equipment. The sector employs 18 125 people, but the most striking feature is undoubtedly its eclecticism, i.e. the presence of so many specialisations, from components for end companies to finished products, making it a fertile breeding ground of continuously growing skills. Among the provinces, Bari dominates the number of registered companies at 44%, followed closely by Lecce, Taranto and Foggia. Some municipalities are particularly vibrant, including Modugno, Monopoli, Altamura, Gravina, Bitonto, Molfetta, Corato, Cerignola, Massafra, San Severo, Putignano, Conversano, Acquaviva and Mola di Bari.

The size class dimension confirms the abandonment of traditional micro-enterprises, in favour of more structured facilities with 10 to 19 employees. The sector demonstrates particular vitality in terms of international projection, with automotive accounting for 61% of the total, mechanical engineering for 28%, while electronics and electrical components have a lesser presence.

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The population of Calabria is 1 838 164 (figure as at 28 February 2023).

The topic of employment in Calabria – but also in southern Italy – is a sensitive issue, as the region remains relegated to the lower parts of a ranking concerning the employment rate in the 15-64 age group. The situation is even more concerning for female employment. In 2022, 529 000 people were employed in Calabria. Among the five Calabrian provinces, Vibo Valentia stands out, which exceeded the pre-COVID-19 employment levels (+ 8.0%) and Reggio di Calabria, which reached them without exceeding them (+ 0.1%). However, all the other provinces still remain below the 2019 levels, performing worse than the regional average: Catanzaro (- 2.6%), Cosenza (- 4.0%) and Crotone (- 5.1%).

At sectoral level, in 2022, employment in the region failed to reach 2019 levels in services, where 71% of people in work were down by 19 000 (- 4.8%). This decrease was mainly due to the reduction in the number of people employed in the commerce, hotel and restaurants sector (- 12.2% > the decline of - 1.2% recorded for the other service activities sector).

In contrast, compared to 2019, construction in 2022 saw an increase of 9 000 people (+ 23.6%), and in the extended manufacturing sector there was an increase of 3 000 people (+ 8.8%).

At the provincial level in the extended manufacturing sector, employment recovered and exceeded 2019 levels, doing better than the regional average in Vibo Valentia (+ 131.8%), which ranks 1st in the national ranking, followed by Crotone (+ 34.6%), 3rd in the national ranking, and Catanzaro (+ 10.4%). Cosenza (- 5.9%) and Reggio di Calabria (- 15.3%) remain behind the pre-crisis levels, however. In the services sector, employment remained below pre-crisis levels, with reductions that are more marked than the average for Cosenza (- 7.1%), Vibo Valentia (- 7.5%), Crotone (- 8.4%) and Catanzaro (- 13.7%), while Reggio di Calabria (+ 8.2%) recovered and exceeded the number of people employed in 2019. In the construction sector, better dynamics than the regional average were observed for Catanzaro (+ 79.0%), which occupies 5th position in the national ranking, and Vibo Valentia (+ 58.1%).

Opportunities for employment in a region where the unemployment rate among people aged 15-64 is 15% in 2022 compared 8.2% in the rest of the country are very few. Among these already scarce opportunities, a significant number are low-profile occupations.

In the private sector, job offers are limited: the 110 000 active businesses in Calabria employ 275 000 workers, averaging 2.5 employees per business compared to the national average of 4.

Labour Market Information section – revised 2020 3/4

In particular, some sectors of the economy considered strategic for the regional economic structure have the following characteristics:

• In agriculture, around 99% of activations are fixed-term, and around 88% are characterised by

a low level of skills;

• The hotel and catering sector recorded around 77% of fixed-term recruitments.

Some 77% are also characterised by average levels of competence and professional specialisation.

It is clear from the same analysis that:

• Around 60% of activations correspond to low skill levels or low skills (40 617 in total);

• About 41% of total activations were in the agricultural sector;

• Fixed-term contracts are prevalent, accounting for approximately 77% of all contracts.

The most important employers include: in Reggio Calabria, Hitachi Rail Italy, a Italian public limited company specialising in the production and marketing of rolling stock. Ca.dis operates in the province of Cosenza, specialising in the manufacture of aluminium containers and rolls, and owns the Alupack brand. The province of Catanzaro has the Abramo Group’s large printing and logistics plant, which also operates in the multichannel customer care sector. Metal Carpenteria, a subsidiary of Industrie Meccaniche Cremonesi, operates in Crotone. The historic company Callipo, renowned producer of canned and jarred tuna, exported to various countries, is based in the province of Vibo Valentia. Other agri-food companies enjoy a significant presence, including Mangiatorella (mineral water), Fattorie Del Sole in Reggio Calabria, Associazioni Latte Calabresi in Castrovillari (Cosenza) and Agrumaria Reggina in Reggio Calabria and Caffè Mauro in Reggio Calabria.

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For the coming months of 2023, 76% of the forecasts will be concentrated in the service sector, in particular personal services and accommodation and catering services. Around 79% will be enterprises with less than 50 employees. In 23% of cases, the expected entries will be stable, i.e. with a permanent or apprenticeship contract, while in 77% will be temporary (fixed-term or other contracts with a predefined duration). At the provincial level, the drive for growth is most pronounced in Vibo Valentia (+ 75.4%), Reggio Calabria (+ 55.6%) and Catanzaro (+ 51.8%).

The most popular profiles are highly skilled workers and plant operators (28%), commercial and service professionals (36%), as well as managers, specialists and technicians. The most difficult profiles to find are those relating to design, research and development in the various business areas, but also staff capable of managing information systems.

Candidates in technical and design areas are particularly challenging to find.

Employers estimate that up to 56.6% of the demand for employment in this production segment will not be met in Calabria.

Following closely are professions in the logistics field, where 51% of employment opportunities are considered difficult to source. Entrepreneurs are finding it difficult to identify professions specialised in the production of goods and the provision of services, 48.8% of which are untraceable. Similarly, challenges are encountered in the administrative area (44.6%), positions within management and general services (36.8%), as well as in the commercial and sales areas (36.2%).

Sardinia has special status as an autonomous region. It covers an area of 24 100 km² and its population density is around 68 per km². Regional Law No 2 of 4 February 2016 and the related Regional Council Resolution No 23/5 of 20 April 2016 reformed Sardinia’s system of autonomous local authorities. It brought substantial changes to the existing system, setting up the Metropolitan City of Cagliari and the Province of Southern Sardinia. It also redrew the borders of the provinces of Sassari and Oristano and abolished the provinces of Carbonia-Iglesias, Medio Campidano, Ogliastra and Olbia-Tempio.

The Metropolitan City of Cagliari has an area of 1 249 km² and the highest population density (346 people per km²), followed by Sassari (area 7 692 km²; 64 people per km²) and by the provinces of Southern Sardinia, Oristano and Nuoro. As of 31 December 2022, the total population was 1 575 028 inhabitants with a negative population balance.

In recent years, the economy has been characterised by the dynamics triggered by the pandemic. As for the labour market in Sardinia, after a downturn during the peak months of the pandemic, it recovered very quickly during 2021. In the first 9 months of 2022, the positive trend even strengthened. Overall, there were more jobs than in 2021 (+ 3.8%). The pandemic crisis (and the subsequent recovery) developed differently by type of contract, sector, geographical area, gender, level of education and nationality. At the sectoral level, at the height of the pandemic, there was a particularly marked contraction in the hotels and restaurants and other services sectors, while industry maintained overall job levels not dissimilar to those recorded in 2019. In stark contrast to the general trend, the number of jobs in the construction sector increased significantly.

The first 9 months of 2022 show further growth compared to the corresponding months of 2021, with a trend change of + 1% for industry, + 3% for other services, + 9% for hotels and restaurants and even + 14% for construction.

Geographical dynamics are more faithful to sectoral trends, for example, the strongest impact of the pandemic was felt mainly in areas with a high level of tourism, such as the province of Sassari. On the other hand, the recovery also tended to be more concentrated in areas with a strong tourist vocation. In the first 9 months of 2022, the increase in hiring compared to 2021 reached its highest values precisely in the province of Sassari (+ 9%). From the point of view of gender dynamics, at the height of the pandemic (2020), male employment positions declined less than female positions. Men also tended to recover more quickly than women, a trend that appears to continue in 2022. In fact, in the first 9 months of 2022, compared to the corresponding months of 2021, male jobs grew by 7%, while female jobs grew by only 6%.

The trend in employment in 2022 suggests a good growth in youth employment (+ 10%). The same growth rate is also recorded for the ‑. By contrast, there is a less marked (albeit positive) variation for the 35-54 age group (+ 3%). The inflationary crisis does not yet appear to have been reflected in the regional labour market, which, driven above all by the good performance of the tourist season, continued to show positive trends in the first 9 months of 2022. With regard to education levels, the greatest reductions in employment in 2020 compared to 2019 occurred among those with at most a primary school leaving certificate. Of course, the crisis did not spare even the highest levels of education; however, the impact was less and the recovery faster. In the first 9 months of 2022, the change compared to the corresponding period in 2021 was clearly positive for all educational levels, with values ranging from + 4% to + 6%. A positive exception is the 2-3 year level of secondary education, which saw a rise of 8%.

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From a sectoral point of view, the labour market followed a rather variable trend. The sectors hardest hit by the crisis, both in absolute and relative terms, are undoubtedly hotels and restaurants and other services; the industry sector is very slightly affected, while construction is expected to grow significantly in 2020, 2021 and also in the first 9 months of 2022. It is now a well-established fact that seasonal fluctuations in Sardinia have the greatest impact on the hotels and restaurants and other services sectors. Daily employment trends in these sectors show much stronger peaks than in other sectors in the summer period. In 2022, higher values were recorded in this sector than in all 3 previous years, a sign that the tourist season was particularly positive. For the other services sector, for which there had been a particularly sharp decline in 2020, the figures for 2022 were particularly high and higher than in previous years. In 2021, industry records consistently higher values than both 2019 and 2020. In the first 9 months of 2022, the values are higher than in 2021. With specific regard to developments in employment in 2022, there was a general increase across all sectors. The industry sector grew by 1%, other services by 3%, hotels and restaurants by 9%, and construction by as much as 14%. Overall, there was an increase in employment in 2022. The net employment change recorded in Italy in Q4 2022 was 120 000, + 0.5% compared to the previous 3 months. The figure is based on the labour market analysis published by ISTAT, according to which, in Q4 2022, labour input, measured by hours worked, increased by 0.7% compared to the previous quarter and by 3.1% compared to Q4 2021. Over the same period, GDP declined slightly (- 0.1%) in quarterly terms, while it increased by 1.4% in year-on-year terms.

The type of work involved is mostly that of an employee. The number of employees stands at around 410 000. Firms in Sardinia are located mainly in the services area, including 28 685 in trade (wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles), professional and scientific activities (16 329), manufacturing (7 013), construction (12 751), accommodation and food service activities (10 983). The trend in labour input in enterprises confirms the growth: the number of employees increased – by 4.7% – the number of hours worked increased – by 12.0% – and the use of temporary lay-offs decreased (- 85.3 hours per thousand worked). The sectors in which most people work are: other services with 55.1%, trade and hotels with 23.3%, industry with 8.3%, construction with 7.3% and agriculture with 6%. Even after the events of 2020-2021, the employment structure in Sardinia remains highly dependent on the services macro-sector. Almost 8 out of 10 employees in Sardinia are employed in these sectors, of which only one third are employed in commerce, hotels and transport, compared with 7 in 10 in the rest of Italy. Compared to the national average, Sardinia also has a higher percentage of employees in the agricultural sector (6% against 4.1%), which remains stable in size compared to previous years.

Sicily covers an area of 25 832.55 km² and, due to its particular topographical configuration, has a population density of 185.39 inhabitants per km². The island with its 391 municipalities, according to the latest ISTAT data as at 01/01/2023, has a population of 4 802 016 inhabitants. (ISTAT data compiled by TUTTITALIA.it)

In Q2 2022, according to ISTAT data on the main labour market indicators, drawn up by the Statistical Service and set out in the update note to the DEFR 2023-2025, Sicily had an employment growth of 4.6%, an unemployment rate of 17.3%, an employment rate for people aged between 15 and 64, of 42.9% and an activity rate for the same category of people of 51.8%. The same document confirmed the positive year-on-year trend in the growth of regional export volumes, mainly due to the sharp increase in the value of petroleum products (+ 106.3%), whose price fluctuations significantly affected the overall trend in the regional export value.  The value of outgoing goods from Sicily of ‘non-oil’ products appears to have increased year-on-year by 21.0%. This positive trend is also registered in almost all the leading sectors on the island, such as agri-food (13.3%), chemicals (35.7%) and electronics (46.2%). The pharmaceutical and metallurgical sectors decreased by 19.1% and 29%, respectively. Moreover, during the summer season of 2022, with the easing of all restrictive measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, tourist flows returned to growth, giving a strong boost to accommodation in Sicily and related activities, with traffic volumes returning to pre-COVID levels. The data on airport movements released by Assaeroporti, referring to the period January-November 2022, are quite eloquent: national passenger traffic grew by 112.1% compared to the same period in 2021, with Sicilian airports registering strong increases in movements: Palermo represents 62.1% more than in 2021 and 2.1% more than in 2019, Catania + 69.7% (- 6.8% in 2019) and Trapani + 120.8% (+ 119.5% in 2019). With regard to economic structures, the figure for the third quarter confirms the trends of an increase in the number of companies operating in the construction and services sectors in Sicily. More specifically, the number of enterprises increased overall by 0.9%, due to changes of 3.9% in the construction sector and 0.9% in the tertiary sector. In this sector, positive dynamics were observed in all sectors with the exception of trade, which showed a slight contraction of active enterprises (- 0.4%). War and rising energy prices, on the other hand, appear to be slowing down industrial activity, resulting in contractions in the number of companies operating in the extractive sector (- 2.2%) and in all the most representative sectors of manufacturing activity, which overall records a - 0.1% decrease. The figures for the agricultural sector are also down, with the number of enterprises falling by 0.4%.

Source: NaDEFR 2023-2025. Council Resolution No. 41 of 11/01/2023

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According to the Report forecasting employment and professional requirements in Italy in the medium term (2023-2027), drawn up by the Excelsior Information System, an employment requirement of 251 400 people is forecast for Sicily. According to the estimates contained in the respective bulletin, the projected revenues for the May-July 2023 quarter amount to 87 320, broken down in the quarterly statistical tables as follows: Some 20 360 in industry (8270 manufacturing industry and public utilities and 12 080 construction); 66 960 in services (12 470 commerce, 27 260 accommodation and food services, tourism services); 16 130 business services; 10 940 personnel services. In May alone, the expected number of incoming workers will be 25 370.  While, the main business sectors affected by the new entries are: Production of goods and provision of services (47%), commercial and sales (20%), technical and design (15%), logistics (11%), management areas and general services (4%) and administrative services (3%).

Source: ‘Unioncamere – ANPAL, Excelsior Information System, 2023’

Among the professions in demand in the May-July quarter of 2023 were clerical, commercial and service professions (41.4%), skilled workers and plant and machine operators (30%), executives, highly specialised professions and technicians (14.7%) and unskilled professions (13.8%). Furthermore, with regard to the most sought-after levels of education, among the expected incoming workers for the group relating to Executives, highly specialised professions and technicians, are university (65.4%) and secondary (3.9%); for the group relating to Clerical, commercial and service professions, on the other hand, the most sought-after levels of education are secondary, with a percentage of 52.3%, and professional with a percentage of 20.7%. Finally, within the unskilled occupations, the demand concern unskilled personnel in cleaning and other personal services, building security and moving and delivering goods.

Source: ‘Unioncamere – ANPAL, Excelsior Information System, 2023’