Italy’s labour market is leaning ever more heavily on international talent. A study released on 21 February 2026 by the Mestre-based research association CGIA shows that employers expect to sign 1.36 million contracts with non-Italian citizens in 2025, equal to 23 percent of all planned hires. Sectors with chronic skills shortages—agriculture, hospitality, construction, logistics and domestic care—now rely on foreign workers for between one-quarter and one-half of new recruitment.
![One in Four New Hires in Italy Is a Foreign National, CGIA Report Finds]()
As companies scramble to secure the right permits for these hires, many are turning to digital facilitators such as VisaHQ. Its Italy-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) guides HR departments and assignees through every step of the visa and nulla osta pipeline, reduces paperwork errors and provides live status tracking—helping employers move talent swiftly in a quota-driven environment.
The report highlights a dramatic shift since the pre-pandemic era: the absolute number of immigrant hires has more than doubled compared with 2019, and has risen 140 percent since 2017. Regional differences are striking. Trentino-Alto Adige tops the table with 31.5 percent foreign hires, followed by Emilia-Romagna (30.6 percent) and Lombardy (29.2 percent). Southern regions such as Basilicata (+306 percent) and Umbria (+190 percent) have recorded the fastest growth, reflecting internal migration of Italian talent and persistent demographic decline. CGIA argues that foreign nationals are not “replacing” Italians but filling vacancies that would otherwise remain open. The association points out that migrant workers tend to be younger, contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they currently draw in benefits, and therefore help stabilise Italy’s strained pension system. It calls on the government to speed up processing of nulla osta work authorisations and residence permits, warning that bureaucratic delays risk driving both employers and workers toward irregular channels. For global mobility and HR teams the study is a wake-up call. Multinational companies operating in Italy should expect intensified competition for non-EU talent in 2026 as the new three-year Flussi quota (497,550 permits for 2026-28) is rolled out. Early sponsorship, realistic timelines for entry visas and tailored integration programmes will be vital to secure the skill sets businesses need. Companies are also advised to monitor upcoming parliamentary debate on Italy’s draft immigration reform bill, which could introduce digital portals, points-based allocations and stricter enforcement mechanisms. Finally, the data underscore a broader European trend: with domestic birth-rates at historic lows, labour-migration is becoming a structural—not emergency—component of Italy’s economic strategy. Organisations that view mobility purely as a cost centre risk losing ground; those that treat it as a strategic workforce accelerator stand to gain in the post-pandemic recovery.
As companies scramble to secure the right permits for these hires, many are turning to digital facilitators such as VisaHQ. Its Italy-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) guides HR departments and assignees through every step of the visa and nulla osta pipeline, reduces paperwork errors and provides live status tracking—helping employers move talent swiftly in a quota-driven environment.
The report highlights a dramatic shift since the pre-pandemic era: the absolute number of immigrant hires has more than doubled compared with 2019, and has risen 140 percent since 2017. Regional differences are striking. Trentino-Alto Adige tops the table with 31.5 percent foreign hires, followed by Emilia-Romagna (30.6 percent) and Lombardy (29.2 percent). Southern regions such as Basilicata (+306 percent) and Umbria (+190 percent) have recorded the fastest growth, reflecting internal migration of Italian talent and persistent demographic decline. CGIA argues that foreign nationals are not “replacing” Italians but filling vacancies that would otherwise remain open. The association points out that migrant workers tend to be younger, contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they currently draw in benefits, and therefore help stabilise Italy’s strained pension system. It calls on the government to speed up processing of nulla osta work authorisations and residence permits, warning that bureaucratic delays risk driving both employers and workers toward irregular channels. For global mobility and HR teams the study is a wake-up call. Multinational companies operating in Italy should expect intensified competition for non-EU talent in 2026 as the new three-year Flussi quota (497,550 permits for 2026-28) is rolled out. Early sponsorship, realistic timelines for entry visas and tailored integration programmes will be vital to secure the skill sets businesses need. Companies are also advised to monitor upcoming parliamentary debate on Italy’s draft immigration reform bill, which could introduce digital portals, points-based allocations and stricter enforcement mechanisms. Finally, the data underscore a broader European trend: with domestic birth-rates at historic lows, labour-migration is becoming a structural—not emergency—component of Italy’s economic strategy. Organisations that view mobility purely as a cost centre risk losing ground; those that treat it as a strategic workforce accelerator stand to gain in the post-pandemic recovery.
