In the autonomous province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, employment growth over the past two decades has been driven solely by foreign labour, according to the latest analysis published in Labour Market News.
Without the contribution of foreign workers, employment growth in South Tyrol over the last twenty years would have been possible only to a limited extent. This is the main conclusion of the latest analysis published in Labour Market News, the monthly bulletin of the Labour Market Observatory.
According to the study, only about one-fifth of employment growth since the late 1990s can be attributed to workers born in South Tyrol.
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'Share of South Tyrolean workers has fallen to 60 percent'
"The analysis highlights the need for a preventive and effective labour market policy," said Magdalena Amhof, Provincial Councillor for Labour. "This means attracting qualified workers from outside South Tyrol, but also encouraging people who already live in South Tyrol to enter the labour market," she added.
The outflow of labour and skilled personnel from South Tyrol remains a challenge that will also have to be addressed decisively in 2026, the Provincial Councillor said.
"In 1998, 80 per cent of workers were South Tyrolean; today that share has fallen to 60 per cent. This figure alone shows how much our labour market depends on foreign workers," summed up Stefan Luther, Director of the Labour Market Services Department.
The share of foreign workers and their regions of origin varies considerably depending on the economic sector. The proportion of foreign workers is particularly high in agriculture, seasonal tourism, construction and manufacturing. Even in the public sector, education, healthcare and social services, employment growth has been possible only thanks to labour migration.
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More Romanians in agriculture, Albanians and Kosovars in construction
According to the analysis, new labour has come partly from the rest of Italy, from a handful of newer EU member states and from non-EU countries. A significant number of citizens from the latter group, having been present for many years, have meanwhile become Italian citizens. Seasonal agricultural activities initially relied heavily on Czech, Slovak and Polish workers, but have increasingly grown thanks to a rising number of Romanians.
The construction sector accounted for more than one-third of employment growth through Albanian and Kosovar workers. The contribution of Italian citizens not resident in the province or born abroad, many of whom are naturalised citizens, has also been significant.
Manufacturing has expanded thanks to these workers and to many employees from newer EU member states, the analysis continues. Albania, Pakistan, Morocco and India emerge as the four most important non-EU countries supplying labour, currently accounting for around 10,000 employed persons, equal to about 45 per cent of all non-EU citizens employed in South Tyrol.
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