Business · Economy · 16 hrs ago
Italian firms could not find 1.6 million workers with green skills
Italian businesses needed 3.4 million workers able to handle green products and technologies last year.
An employers’ group says 1.6 million of those workers were difficult to find.
The shortage affects jobs linked to the shift towards more environmentally sustainable products and practices.
Lombardy had the largest number of hard-to-fill green roles, while Veneto had the highest share among the regions listed.
Milan had the most such roles of any province, followed by Rome, Naples, Turin and Brescia.
The group says the skills gap could prevent businesses from making the most of new job opportunities and weaken the country’s competitiveness.
It is calling for a national effort involving schools, training providers, employment policies and businesses to prepare more workers.
Italian businesses could not find 1.6 million workers with green skills last year, equal to 48.7% of their needs.
They needed 3.4 million workers able to manage green products and technologies.
Confartigianato presented the figures in a report in Milan.
Lombardy had the largest number of green-skilled roles that were difficult to fill.
Confartigianato president Marco Granelli called for a national agreement among education, job-training systems, employment policies and businesses.
- Who
- Italian businesses needed workers with green skills.
- What
- They could not find 1.6 million of the 3.4 million workers they needed.
- When
- The figures concern last year; the report was presented on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Italy. The report was presented in Milan.
- Why
- Businesses needed workers able to manage green products and technologies, but many suitable workers were difficult to find.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Italian businesses needed 3.4 million workers with green skills, but 1.6 million were difficult to find.
Confartigianato presented its report in Milan.
Confartigianato was set to organise Energy and Sustainability Week across Italy.
- National green-skilled worker need
- 3.4 million
- Workers difficult to find
- 1.6 million, or 48.7% of demand
- Lombardy
- 303,160 of 613,660 requested workers were difficult to find
- Veneto
- 162,350 of 297,610 projected hires were difficult to find
- Province with the most hard-to-find green professionals
- Milan
What people are saying
The ecological transition offers extraordinary job opportunities that we are unable to meet with the necessary skills.
We risk missing an unrepeatable opportunity.
Sources
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