Almost 2.6 million foreign nationals work in Italy – that is more than 10 per cent of the total workforce

The role of foreign workers in Italy continues to grow. In 2025, there were almost 2.6 million foreign nationals working in the country — accounting for 10.7 per cent of the total workforce. Moreover, it was foreign workers who accounted for a significant proportion of the growth in employment: the number of non-EU nationals in employment rose by 3.6 per cent, EU nationals by 1.2 per cent, and Italians by 0.5 per cent.                  👷 Where do migrants most commonly work? 🔹 Other collective and personal services — foreign nationals account for 29.8 per cent of workers in this sector. 🔹 Agriculture — 21.5 per cent of workers are foreign nationals. 🔹 Hotels and restaurants — 19.2 per cent. 🔹 Construction — 17.9 per cent. At the same time, the proportion of foreign workers is significantly lower in the financial and insurance sectors — 1.6 per cent, in information and communication services — 3.1 per cent, and in public administration — just 0.3 per cent.      📈 Italy is increasingly in need of foreign workers In 2025, Italian companies planned to hire over 1.3 million foreign workers — a record figure and around 23 per cent of all planned hires. At the same time, in roughly half of all cases, employers found it difficult to find suitable candidates. In other words, the Italian economy needs foreign workers not just today — demand for them continues to grow. However, there remains a gap in unemployment rates between foreign nationals and Italians.                            In 2025, it stood at 9.6 per cent amongst non-EU nationals, 7.8 per cent amongst EU nationals and 5.8 per cent amongst Italians. The gap is particularly pronounced among women: the employment rate for women from non-EU countries stood at just 45.7 per cent, compared with 76 per cent for men. For Ukrainians, this means that the Italian labour market is gradually opening up more opportunities, not only in traditional sectors such as care work, cleaning, agriculture, catering and construction. Professional skills, qualifications and services that migrants can offer independently are becoming increasingly important. 💙💛 It is therefore important not only to look for work, but also to showcase one’s professional skills. It is worth noting that on the UA Service HUB platform, Ukrainian specialists in Italy can showcase their services, experience and portfolios, and find clients both in their own city and beyond.