The latest edition of the OECD’s International Migration Outlook, released on 3 November 2025, offers a data-rich snapshot of Italy’s evolving migration landscape. According to the report, 169,000 non-Italian nationals obtained a right to settle permanently in 2024, 16 percent fewer than in 2023. Family-reunification continued to dominate (61 percent of permits), while free-movement within the EU accounted for 23 percent and labour migrants for 10 percent. Student mobility and seasonal work remained niche but strategically important channels, with 20,000 study permits and 17,300 seasonal or other temporary work authorisations issued.
Behind the headline numbers lies a significant policy pivot. The Meloni government’s multi-year “Flow Decree 2026-2028” has already signalled an historic shift toward long-term labour-market planning; the OECD data underscore why. Italy’s labour force is ageing rapidly and, even after record inflows in 2023, employers in agri-food, construction and health care still report acute shortages. The OECD stresses that migrants now account for more than 13 percent of Italy’s workforce and calls them “essential” in mitigating demographic decline and skills gaps.
![OECD Migration Outlook 2025: Italy Admits 169,000 Permanent Migrants, Down 16%]()
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the figures are a double-edged sword. Fewer newcomers mean a tighter talent pool for multinationals expanding Italian operations, yet the government’s recent decision to authorise nearly half-a-million additional work visas through 2028 should ease bottlenecks. Companies should begin workforce-planning early, ensure labour-market-test documentation is watertight and budget extra time for consular appointments, especially once new biometric rules for long-term visas take effect on 11 January 2025.
The report also hints at renewed competition for talent within the EU. While Italy recorded a net inflow of permanent migrants, neighbouring Germany and Spain attracted larger absolute numbers, often recruiting from the same source countries (Ukraine, Albania, Romania). HR teams managing intra-EU assignments should monitor quota allocations and reserve online “click-day” slots as soon as the Interior Ministry calendar is published.
Finally, the OECD warns that migrants in Italy still earn on average 34 percent less than native workers doing comparable jobs. Employers keen to build resilient talent pipelines should pair recruitment with robust integration policies—language training, skills recognition and pathways to permanent residence—to retain international staff in a tightening market.
Behind the headline numbers lies a significant policy pivot. The Meloni government’s multi-year “Flow Decree 2026-2028” has already signalled an historic shift toward long-term labour-market planning; the OECD data underscore why. Italy’s labour force is ageing rapidly and, even after record inflows in 2023, employers in agri-food, construction and health care still report acute shortages. The OECD stresses that migrants now account for more than 13 percent of Italy’s workforce and calls them “essential” in mitigating demographic decline and skills gaps.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the figures are a double-edged sword. Fewer newcomers mean a tighter talent pool for multinationals expanding Italian operations, yet the government’s recent decision to authorise nearly half-a-million additional work visas through 2028 should ease bottlenecks. Companies should begin workforce-planning early, ensure labour-market-test documentation is watertight and budget extra time for consular appointments, especially once new biometric rules for long-term visas take effect on 11 January 2025.
The report also hints at renewed competition for talent within the EU. While Italy recorded a net inflow of permanent migrants, neighbouring Germany and Spain attracted larger absolute numbers, often recruiting from the same source countries (Ukraine, Albania, Romania). HR teams managing intra-EU assignments should monitor quota allocations and reserve online “click-day” slots as soon as the Interior Ministry calendar is published.
Finally, the OECD warns that migrants in Italy still earn on average 34 percent less than native workers doing comparable jobs. Employers keen to build resilient talent pipelines should pair recruitment with robust integration policies—language training, skills recognition and pathways to permanent residence—to retain international staff in a tightening market.
