The aging of Italy’s workforce is not merely a demographic emergency, but a hindrance to competitiveness, productivity, and the digital and sustainable transition of businesses. This is evident from the latest analysis by Unioncamere and its Tagliacarne Research Center, based on original data and institutional sources, presented during the National Conference of Chambers of Commerce currently underway in Paestum.
Unioncamere’s estimates speak for themselves: companies capable of attracting and retaining talent under 35 see a 7.2% increase in productivity, and, as Istat shows, businesses with more young employees outperform others, recording growth in revenue and employment that is 1.5 percentage points higher.
The propensity for process innovation peaks at an average age of 36 among employees, and for product innovation at 42, before dropping sharply. Given the current composition of the workforce, the result is that 60% of Italian companies have already crossed the age threshold beyond which the drive to innovate declines (Istat).
Implementing measures capable of reversing this trend, for example by bringing half of young expats back to Italy, would yield an enormous benefit, estimated at 12 billion euros, equivalent to half a percentage point of GDP.
The younger generations face fewer cultural, geographical, and social barriers than in the past, – noted Unioncamere President Andrea Prete. – Thanks to initiatives like Erasmus, they naturally feel like European citizens.” Europe is a tangible space for study, work, and opportunity. They compare wages, job quality, access to innovation, and growth prospects. It is a profound cultural shift, reflecting a new vision of life, family, and personal fulfillment. Nurturing their creativity and capacity for innovation requires a collective effort. The Chambers of Commerce are on the ground and ready to serve as a bridge between businesses and the education system.
Over the past twenty years, the number of employed people over 50 has doubled (rising from 20% to about 40%), while the share of those under 35 has plummeted from 35% to less than 25% (CNEL).
Yet young people are the true engine of transformation. As shown by the Excelsior Information System, run by Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor, companies annually allocate about 28% of the contracts they plan to offer to those under 30. But last year, 48% of these positions were considered difficult to fill, primarily (31%) due to a lack of candidates.
Looking ahead, the Excelsior scenarios paint a clearly challenging picture: between 2026 and 2029, given the demand from businesses and the public sector and the number of young people graduating from university, there could be a shortfall of over 13,000 STEM graduates per year, primarily engineers, economists, and doctors.
Investing in the younger generation would give a significant boost to the wealth produced in the country. A prime example is the so-called “brain drain.”
Over the past decade, the number of young people aged 20 to 34 who have left Italy has nearly doubled, rising from 37,000 to 70,000 (+85%) (Eurostat). The value of human capital that has emigrated between 2011 and 2024 amounts to a staggering 159.5 billion euros (7.5% of the national GDP) (CNEL). This is not merely a demographic loss: it is a loss of energy, skills, and future potential. Today, 8 out of every 1,000 young people in Italy emigrate, more than double the rate in Germany and higher than in Spain (Eurostat).
Unioncamere estimates show that if even half of the 20- to 34-year-olds who emigrated in the last five years (just over 250,000) could be persuaded to return, it would generate an economic impact of up to 12 billion euros, equivalent to about half a percentage point of GDP.
