Companies are planning approximately 424 new hires for February 2026, with a projection of 1,4 million contracts in the February-April quarter. Labor demand remains strong, but almost half of the required profiles (46,6%, equal to 197,000 positions) are difficult to find. This scenario is outlined in the Excelsior Information System Bulletin, produced by Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, which elaborates employment forecasts for the month of February.
The services sector remains the main driver of labor demand, with 274 expected job creations in February (64,7% of the total) and nearly 933 in the quarter (66,6%). Accommodation, catering and tourism services create the greatest employment opportunities, with nearly 71 admissions in the month and 287 in the quarter, followed by commerce, which forecast 57 admissions in February and 183 in the quarter. Also significant were the contributions from personal services (49 in the month and 150 in the quarter) and operational support services for businesses and individuals (34 in the month and 111 in the quarter).
The industrial sector expects approximately 123 new hires in February (29% of the total) and 367 in the quarter (26,2%). Of these, the manufacturing and public utilities sectors account for 74 monthly new hires (17,5% of the total) and 223 quarterly new hires (15,9%). Construction also offers significant prospects With 49 new hires in February (11,5% of the total) and 144 in the quarter (10,3% of the total). Within the manufacturing sector, the greatest employment opportunities are concentrated in the mechanical and electronics industries (approximately 19 new hires in the month and over 55 in the quarter) and the metallurgical and metal products industries (15 in the month and 42 in the quarter). The food, beverage, and tobacco industries follow (12 new hires in the month and 37 in the quarter).
Primary sector businesses expect to activate approximately 102 contracts in February (6,3% of the total) and nearly 10 in the February-April quarter (7,3%). Revenues remain predominantly concentrated in agriculture: businesses involved in tree cultivation expect nearly 38 in February (2,3% of the total) and 2,7 in the quarter (27%), while those involved in field crops expect over 8 in the month (1,9%) and approximately 34 in the quarter (2,4%). Fixed-term contracts prevail (approximately 238 thousand, equal to 56,1% of the total contracts), followed by permanent contracts, offered to 85 thousand contracts (20,1%).
In February, a significant portion of the planned revenue was difficult to cover (46,6%), mainly due to the shortage of candidates (28,7%) and the lack of specific skills (14,1%). Companies are struggling to find especially specialized workers (64,1% hard to find) – in particular construction finishing workers (73,3%), blacksmiths (70,3%), mechanics (69,8%), foundries, welders (66,9%), electrical/electronic equipment installers/maintenance workers (66,8%) – and technicians (51,1%), among which health technicians (60,9%), engineering (60,6%), distribution (60,1%), management (58,0%) and IT (53,1%) stand out.
In the primary sector, 43,9% of the contracts scheduled for February are difficult to find, primarily due to a lack of candidates (31,0%). In this sector too, the greatest difficulties are evident in the search for managers, highly specialized professions and technicians (52,1%) and specialized workers (49,8%). The contracts offered to Immigrant workers represent 24% of planned revenuesCompanies allocate 29% of their planned hiring to young people under 30. They are primarily sought after in financial and insurance services (45,9%), ICT services (42,9%), tourism (39,9%), media and communications (39,4%), and commerce (38,0%).
Regionally, 122 new arrivals are expected in the South and Islands, 119 in the Northwest, 95 in the Northeast, and 88 in Central Italy. In the Northeast, the difficulty in finding new arrivals continues to affect more than one in two new arrivals (51,3%).
