The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) issued a briefing that provides a clear and accurate snapshot of the relationship between migration and the labour market in Italy in 2021.

The briefing shows that more than 50% of foreigners moved to Italy for labour reasons (56.3%), followed by those who migrated for family reasons (40.3%). Men are more likely to migrate for labour reasons, while women more commonly apply for family reunification. This trend is similar both among foreign citizens and naturalised immigrants.

Among labour migrants, the most represented nationalities are Indian and Bengalese (whose numbers have steadily increased in the last five years), as well as Filipino, Moroccan, Peruvian and Albanian (whose nationals tend to have been residing for a longer period in the country). 

The report shows significant differences between foreign citizen migrants and naturalised migrants in two areas: 1) level of education, and 2) challenges encountered in securing a job in line with their expertise. Even foreign citizens with a university diploma face several challenges in accessing the qualified labour market: among foreign graduates, only 38.4% have a qualified profession, while the same figure stands at 61.5% for naturalised foreigners and 81% for those who are Italian by birth.