The influential Venetian employers’ association CGIA has released new labour-market figures showing that foreign nationals accounted for 23 % of all new employment contracts signed in Italy during 2025—up 139 % compared with 2017 levels. (ansa.it)
In absolute terms, employers expect to take on 1.36 million migrant workers this year. Agriculture tops the ranking with almost half of new recruits (42.9 %) coming from abroad; textiles and footwear industries follow closely at 41.8 %, while construction stands at 33.6 %. Hospitality alone will hire more than 231,000 cooks, kitchen hands and dish-washers of non-Italian nationality.
Amid this unprecedented demand, VisaHQ can assist both employers and incoming talent by navigating Italy’s visa and permit requirements. Through its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the platform delivers up-to-date checklists, consolidated document management and status tracking, enabling HR departments to lodge multiple applications efficiently while giving workers clear guidance on seasonal, skilled and family-reunification visas.
![One in Four New Hires in Italy Now Foreign Nationals, Says CGIA Report]()
The surge is reshaping Italy’s demographic dependency ratio: the number of foreign employees paying into the pension system has more than doubled since the pre-Covid era, offsetting a native workforce that shrinks by roughly 150,000 people each year. CGIA warns, however, that integration policies and up-skilling programmes have not kept pace, risking segmented labour markets.
For corporate mobility teams the data validate the continued reliance on cross-border hiring and the importance of streamlining work-permit processes under Decreto Flussi. Companies in sectors with double-digit vacancy rates—especially agriculture and hospitality—are urged to partner with accredited recruitment agencies abroad and to budget for Italian-language and safety training.
Politically, the findings give the Meloni government cover for expanding legal migration channels even as it pursues tougher asylum deterrence at sea. Business associations are lobbying for multi-year work permits and faster family-reunification to retain talent beyond the initial seasonal contracts.
In absolute terms, employers expect to take on 1.36 million migrant workers this year. Agriculture tops the ranking with almost half of new recruits (42.9 %) coming from abroad; textiles and footwear industries follow closely at 41.8 %, while construction stands at 33.6 %. Hospitality alone will hire more than 231,000 cooks, kitchen hands and dish-washers of non-Italian nationality.
Amid this unprecedented demand, VisaHQ can assist both employers and incoming talent by navigating Italy’s visa and permit requirements. Through its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the platform delivers up-to-date checklists, consolidated document management and status tracking, enabling HR departments to lodge multiple applications efficiently while giving workers clear guidance on seasonal, skilled and family-reunification visas.
The surge is reshaping Italy’s demographic dependency ratio: the number of foreign employees paying into the pension system has more than doubled since the pre-Covid era, offsetting a native workforce that shrinks by roughly 150,000 people each year. CGIA warns, however, that integration policies and up-skilling programmes have not kept pace, risking segmented labour markets.
For corporate mobility teams the data validate the continued reliance on cross-border hiring and the importance of streamlining work-permit processes under Decreto Flussi. Companies in sectors with double-digit vacancy rates—especially agriculture and hospitality—are urged to partner with accredited recruitment agencies abroad and to budget for Italian-language and safety training.
Politically, the findings give the Meloni government cover for expanding legal migration channels even as it pursues tougher asylum deterrence at sea. Business associations are lobbying for multi-year work permits and faster family-reunification to retain talent beyond the initial seasonal contracts.
