3 days ago
Italy's far-right government opens doors to 500,000 foreign workers amid labor shortage
In Italy, the far-right government continues to rely on labor immigration, despite its often hostile rhetoric toward foreigners. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration has just approved a new decree allowing the entry of 500,000 non-EU workers between 2026 and 2028, Les Echos reported. The plan sets quotas at 164,850 entries in 2026, 165,850 in 2027, and 166,850 in 2028. The objective is clear: to address a labor shortage that is severely affecting critical sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and domestic care.
Since coming to power in 2022, Meloni has overseen the arrival of nearly one million foreign workers, an outcome that stands in stark contrast to her pre-election promises of tougher immigration controls.
This policy shift has been welcomed by the Italian business community, which has long warned of a pressing need for labor. According to estimates from Confindustria, Italy will require at least 600,000 additional foreign workers over the next five years to sustain its economy.
Yet in practice, the system remains fraught with challenges. The work permit allocation process, known as «click day», operates like a lottery, requiring online registration at a set date. Applicants must also navigate cumbersome administrative procedures, lengthy delays, and financial barriers. As a result, many of the quotas set by the government never translate into actual visas or employment contracts.
According to the association Ero Straniero, only 20% of the 2023 quotas led to residence permits and stable jobs—a rate that is expected to fall to just 12% in 2024. «As long as the system isn't reformed, we'll continue to generate irregularity», the association warns.
Even Meloni herself has acknowledged the flaws. «The gap between the quotas and the contracts actually signed means that regular immigration becomes an additional channel for irregular immigration. Organized crime has infiltrated the application process», she admitted.
