Competenze cercasi: imprese umbre in difficoltà tra tecnici mancanti e laureati che emigrano

About the labor market mismatch

For several years, Umbria—as well as the rest of Italy, Europe, and the Western world—has faced a growing mismatch between labor demand and the supply of skills. Companies increasingly struggle to find specific professional figures, particularly skilled workers, technicians, and roles requiring targeted expertise. What once appeared a localized issue has become a structural bottleneck, challenging business competitiveness and the broader economic system.

The causes of this mismatch are complex. The education system fails to produce enough profiles with in-demand skills, such as welders, maintenance workers, CNC machine operators, and automation technicians—typically roles requiring at most a high school diploma. However, the shortage also affects graduates, particularly in innovation-critical fields like engineering, computer science, STEM disciplines, and healthcare professions. This results in an undersupply of both technical-operational and highly qualified specialists, contrasted by an oversupply of graduates in generalist disciplines that do not align with production needs.

Demographic trends further exacerbate the issue, reducing the availability of experienced labor due to insufficient generational turnover. Many skilled workers are nearing retirement, while younger generations show little interest in professions perceived as less attractive. These roles often suffer from reputational deficits, seen as less socially or professionally rewarding than white-collar jobs, with uncompetitive wages and uncertain career prospects. Such conditions encourage sectoral or geographic mobility, sometimes abroad.

Reduced migratory flows—due to restrictive policies or diminished territorial attractiveness—have also limited foreign labor supply, particularly in sectors where it is most needed. The interplay of factors—from education to demographics, economic attractiveness, social status, and foreign labor—creates significant consequences for businesses. Expansion plans slow, orders risk delays, and internal costs rise due to increased training investments. In some cases, the shortage of qualified labor hampers international competitiveness and growth opportunities.

Labor market trends in Umbria

The mismatch is worsening. From 2018 to 2024, the percentage of hard-to-fill positions in Italy nearly doubled, rising from 26.3% to 47.8% of planned hires. Umbria faces an even more acute challenge, with difficulty rates increasing from 29.1% to 55.0%, surpassing neighboring regions like Marche and Tuscany.

Skilled workers are particularly scarce. In Umbria, 63% of hiring needs for these roles remain unmet, especially in construction, food, agriculture, textiles, and metalworking (e.g., blacksmiths, welders, foundry workers). The irreparability rate reaches 81.4% for specialized construction finishers, driven by both a lack of candidates and inadequate preparation.

The shortage extends beyond manual roles. For high-specialization positions (e.g., managers, technicians, and professionals), companies report a 61% difficulty rate. Life sciences specialists and health technicians face the highest shortages, at 91.2% and 83.0%, respectively. Mid-level roles, such as accounting and financial staff, also show increasing difficulty, though hospitality roles have seen slight improvement.

Education and workforce demand

Umbria’s labor demand emphasizes vocational qualifications over university degrees. Vocational roles account for 42.5% of planned hires (vs. 38.2% nationally), while only 8.4% require a degree (vs. 12.5% nationally), placing Umbria third-lowest in Italy for graduate demand. Despite this, local companies struggle more than the national average to fill tertiary-educated roles, with a 53.7% difficulty rate (vs. 50.9% nationally). Healthcare and electronic/information engineering fields face near-80% irreparability.

ITS (Higher Technical Institutes) graduates—specialized in practical, industry-aligned skills—are also in short supply. The average difficulty rate for these profiles is 60.8%, exceeding 90% in the energy sector. Yet, Umbria boasts a high percentage of graduates (nearly 5,500 in 2024) and excels in ITS education, with 80% of ITS graduates employed within a year (95% in mechatronics).

Root causes of the mismatch

The paradox stems from specific factors. Companies seek not just degrees but practical experience, which many graduates lack. Meanwhile, many graduates leave the region for better opportunities, creating a "brain drain" that depletes local talent. For ITS graduates, the primary issue is quantity: ITS Umbria Academy offered only 275 spots in 2025, insufficient to meet demand.

To address this, the Umbria Region approved a 2025–2027 ITS Plan, allocating over €15 million to expand post-diploma training in mechatronics, ICT, energy, agri-food, and sustainability. However, cultural biases persist, with many students favoring traditional academic paths over specialized technical education, perceived as less prestigious.