Business · Economy · 11 hrs ago
Italian firms struggle to find workers as AI reshapes jobs
A study presented at a business summit in Milan says Italian firms face worker shortages and rapid AI change.
It found that 45% of this year’s hires were hard to fill, as companies struggle to find people with the skills they need.
Italy’s falling population is also shrinking the workforce, with 300,000 people of working age lost each year.
Meanwhile, only 23% of firms have an integrated digital strategy to manage change and stay competitive.
These pressures add to long-running problems: real wages have been flat for 30 years, and productivity has grown more slowly than in any other large advanced economy.
The study calls for investment in people, ongoing training and technology to work together to raise productivity and support sustainable growth.
An Italian study found that 45% of planned hires this year are difficult for companies to fill.
Only 23% of companies have an integrated strategy to manage digital transformation and remain competitive.
The study says Italian firms face a shrinking workforce, skills gaps and artificial intelligence that is changing jobs.
The findings were presented at a closed-door summit in Milan organised by the UN Global Compact Network Italy.
- Who
- Italian companies are struggling to find workers with the skills they need.
- What
- A study examined hiring difficulties and how companies are responding to demographic change, skills gaps and AI.
- When
- The study was reported on November 14, 2026; it says 45% of hires this year are difficult to fill.
- Where
- The summit took place in Milan, Italy.
- Why
- A shrinking working-age population, skills gaps and AI-driven changes to work are putting pressure on companies.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The study found that 45% of hires were difficult for companies to fill.
Corriere della Sera reported on the study and the summit held in Milan.
- Hard-to-fill hires
- 45% of hires this year
- Integrated digital strategies
- 23% of companies
- Study authors
- The European House – Ambrosetti, for Global Compact
- Summit location
- Milan, Italy
- Annual working-age population decline
- 300,000 people
What people are saying
The competitiveness of companies will increasingly depend on their ability to find, develop and make the most of the people and skills they need.
Addressing these challenges separately is not enough: a holistic approach is needed to place them at the centre of company strategies and CEOs’ decisions.