Adapt your talent recruitment for Italy
Italy’s rich culture and history make it a hub for global tourism, attracting visitors from around the world. It can also be an attractive place to conduct business, with some key cultural considerations in mind. This article lays out some of the key information to bear in mind when considering to grow your operations in Italy.
The market at a glance
Size of workforce
26m
people
Employment rate
58%
Education rate
26%
Cost of labour
$35,397
English proficiency index (world)
#33/80
Moderate proficiency
English proficiency index (Europe)
#24/32
Moderate proficiency
Finding the right talent
Italians rely on their personal networks and recommendations to make new hires and find new jobs. So it is helpful to have on-the-ground hiring managers and personnel to broaden one’s operations more organically. Even so, foreign talent may be most successful by choosing to find work through other expats.
Italian companies often require hand-written letters from applicants, which are commonly sent to graphologists to verify, so Italian applicants may do this automatically when sending in a CV.
Online job boards are used, but not as commonly as newspapers or cold-calling companies. With high unemployment and a cultural preference for personal connections in business, it is not uncommon for Italians to pursue multiple avenues to contact a business about a job even without a stated posting.
Things to keep in mind
Despite being a part of the European Union and therefore allowing for freer movement of talent in and out of the country, Italy has a rather complex set of laws and regulations governing labour and employment. It is wise to understand all of these complexities before setting up operations in Italy.