ANSA interviewed Salvatore Sortino, the director of the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Mediterranean coordination office, on October 29 on the sidelines of a conference for the presentation of the 31st edition of MedFilm Festival, which will be held in Rome from November 6-16.

Citing data from a recent report on the economy of immigration issued by the Leone Moressa Foundation, Sortino pointed out the positive net balance of over a billion euros compared with the expenditure in 2024 for all reception activities linked to migrants.

"In 2024, foreign workers produced 177 billion in added value, accounting for 9 percent of GDP and having an especially significant effect on the agriculture and construction sectors," he continued, highlighting also the demographic aspect of migration.

"Italy is a country of emigration," he stressed. "We have a large number of young people who leave the country for work or study reasons, and therefore, amid a general ageing of the population, we would have a negative balance if this were not compensated for through the arrival of migrants."

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From work migration to humanitarian reasons

According to Sortino, much has changed in Italy’s approach to migration over the past decade.

"From migrations mainly for work reasons, there has been a shift in recent years to migrations mainly for humanitarian reasons, protection, and family reunification. This is an important fact because it has an impact on governance measures that should be used, as well as because it is indicative of the integration of a large number of migrants," a total of 2.5 million foreigners employed in the country.

Sortino went on to stress that there is an unused potential of migrant workers, who are mostly in low-qualified employment -- often because there is a problem with the recognition of their qualifications or because "up until now they have compensated for the type of profile of Italian workers in a complementary manner."

To resolve this problem, the IOM Mediterranean coordination office director noted the importance of integration of various policies: migration, as well as territory and work.

"We often speak about migration with a focus on its humanitarian aspect, but in reality, it is a much more complex phenomenon. As IOM, we work on various existing initiatives, for example, with the labor inspectorate to support a series of interventions against labor exploitation, as well as with government bodies involved in integration, both at the national and local levels."

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'Get migrants out of work segregation'

Sortino also noted a change in direction in dealing with migration.

"I believe that Italy is an important example of a dichotomy that, on one hand, tends to underscore the importance of containing irregular migration, which poses important problems concerning respect for human rights and all humanitarian elements, but on the other hand, recognizes the importance of migrant manpower for the country's economy."

"It is necessary to integrate migrants, get them out of work segregation. This translates into higher salaries, less vulnerability, less precariousness, and a more active role for them in society in the cultural as well as fiscal spheres."

"An integration into a higher level of work positions, he added, also means the possibility for migrants to contribute in the best possible way from several points of view, and thus integrate into our society economically and culturally," Sortino said.

Author: Valentina Maresca

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