In February ISMU - a foundation devoted to research and policymaking in Italy, mainly in the field of immigration and integration - published its annual report on migration for 2023.

The report tackles the issues of forced labour, labour migration, and the inclusion of migrant families and children. It contains some interesting data on education, labour migration and integration.

In particular, the report shows a significant increase in the foreign population resident in Italy (+110 000). On the other hand, irregular migration is shown to have decreased to more or less 460 000, compared with 506 000 in the previous year. This decrease is mainly due, according to ISMU, to the outcomes of regularisation efforts carried out since 2020, which were completed in the period 2022 - 2023, as well as to amendements to the country's legal framework on complementary protection.

In terms of the labour force, the report points out that 2023 marked the historic record for the recruitment of migrant staff planned by Italian companies (1 057 620 people employed). Many critical issues remain, though, with regard to the type and length of the contracts given to migrant workers, indicating a need for new governance of migration and integration processes (further analysed by ISMU in the "White paper on labor migration").

In terms of education, the report shows that the number of primary students with a migrant background in Italian schools is once again growing, at a rate that suggests that the target of 1 million students with a migrant background could be reached in about 10 years. The report also notes that those born in Italy account for 67.5% students with non-Italian citizenship.