Almost one third of Italian products from the fields and barns of the country were made with the help of immigrant and seasonal workers of foreign origins. At least 362,00 workers from around the world are currently employed in the country. Their labor accounted for 32% of the total number of working days needed for the sector in 2022.

This insight emerged from an analysis conducted by the Italian farmers association Coldiretti, a contribution to an immigration statistics report by the IDOS research center.

In 2023, Italy has made available 82,550 positions for non-European seasonal workers.

Largest community of workers from Romania

The largest community of workers hails from Romania, with 78,214 employed in Italian fields, followed by Indians (39,021), Moroccans (38,051), Albanians (35,474), Senegalese (16,229), Pakistanis (15,095), Tunisians (14,071), Nigerians (11,894), Macedonians (9,362), Bulgarians (7,912), and Poles (7,449). Most of these individuals serve as seasonal workers, experiencing peaks in demand during the summer harvest season.

Coldiretti emphasized that the contribution of migrants to Italian production is on the rise, with foreign workers becoming increasingly integrated into the economic and social fabric of the country.

The farmers association highlighted the demand for specialized workers such as tractor drivers, greenhouse farmers, and pruners. Additionally, there is a need for general workers involved in fruit and vegetable harvesting.

Coldiretti added that there are also new employment possibilities opening up in the sector ranging from company transformations to direct sales, from didactic farms to farmhouse kindergartens, projects to integrate people with disabilities as well as detainees and former drug addicts, park and road beautification, nature wellness retreats, landscaping, and renewable energy production.

'Increasingly efficient management from 3-year decree'

Coldiretti chief Ettore Prandini stressed the importance of addressing manpower availability through more efficient management, starting from the three-year decree. He noted the increase in seasonal work units from 42,000 to 82,000 in 2023 and projected 90,000 in 2025. The share reserved for members of farmers associations has also risen from 22,000 to 40,000 this year, ensuring companies have enough workers with a regular status and are protected from unfair competition.

The Cabinet decree regulating the legal entrance into Italy of foreign workers for 2023-2025 can be adjusted every year in line with any needs that arise, as occurred in 2023, Coldiretti said. In addition to the annual quotas for seasonal farm work, entrances are also planned for family assistance and, as the association has repeatedly said, quotas for the meeting of the demands of the fisheries sector as well.