The aging workforce in Italy is not just a demographic emergency, but also a brake on competitiveness, productivity, and the digital and sustainable transition of businesses. This emerges from the latest analyses by Unioncamere and its Tagliacarne Study Center based on original elaborations and institutional sources, presented during the National Conference of the Chambers of Commerce held on 5 and 6 June in Paestum.
According to Unioncamere surveys, the companies capable of attracting and retaining talent under 35 record a 7,2% growth in productivity and, Istat shows, the businesses with more young people they run more than the others, recording a growth in turnover and employment higher by 1,5 percentage points.
La propensity to do innovation Process innovation increases until the average age of 36 for those employed, and product innovation increases until 42, before declining sharply. Given the current composition of the workforce, the result is that 60% of Italian companies have already exceeded the age threshold beyond which the drive to innovate wanes (Istat).
Implement actions capable of reverse gear, doing, for example, return to Italy even just half of the 20-34 year olds who emigrated in the last five years (just over 250 thousand), it would generate an economic impact of up to 12 billion euros, equal to approximately half a point of GDP.
"The new generations live with fewer cultural, territorial and social barriers than in the past", highlighted the president of Unioncamere, Andrew Priest"Thanks to initiatives like Erasmus, they naturally feel like European citizens. Europe is a tangible space for study, work, and opportunity. They compare salaries, job quality, access to innovation, and growth opportunities. It's a profound cultural shift, one that speaks to a new concept of life, family, and personal fulfillment. Cultivating their creativity and capacity for innovation requires a concerted effort. The Chambers of Commerce are on the front lines and ready to act as a bridge between businesses and the education system."
Over the last twenty years, the number of employed people over 50 has doubled (from 20% to around 40%), while the share of those under 35 has dropped from 35% to less than 25% (Cnel).
Young people are the true driving force of transformation, but there is a lack of graduates
Yet, young people are the real driving force of transformationAs shown by the Excelsior Information System, run by Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor, companies annually allocate approximately 28% of the contracts they plan to make to people under 30. But last year, 48% of these positions were considered difficult to fill, mainly (31%) due to a lack of candidates.
Looking ahead, Excelsior's scenarios show an objectively delicate situation: between the 2026 and the 2029, considering the demand from businesses and public administration and the number of young people leaving university, could missing more than 13 STEM graduates a year, especially engineers, economists and doctors.
Investing in the new generations would make a difference leap forward in wealth produced in the country. An emblematic case is that of the so-called "brain drain"In the last decade, the number of young people between 20 and 34 who have left Italy has almost doubled, going from 37 thousand to 70 thousand (+85%), according to Eurostat data. value of human capital The total amount of people emigrated between 2011 and 2024 is worth a staggering €159,5 billion, 7,5% of the national GDP, according to CNEL data. This isn't just a demographic loss: it's a loss of energy, skills, and a future. Today, 8 out of every 1,000 young people emigrate in Italy, more than double the rate in Germany and higher than in Spain (Eurostat).
