The Italian government plans to even triple the number of foreign workers it will take in.
ROME, ITALY In Finnish government negotiations, the parties have wringed their hands on, for example, work-based immigration. Basic Finns have wanted to clamp down on work-based immigration.
The right-wing government sitting in Italy takes a strict stance on immigration and asylum policy. Nevertheless, it has decided to increase labor-based immigration for the first time since the economic crises of more than a decade ago.
summarized the main points about Italy’s immigration policy reforms.
Far more people from outside the EU get a work permit than currently
Prime Minister of Italy by Giorgia Meloni the right-wing government decided in the spring to increase the quota for foreign labor coming from outside the European Union. According to the legal regulation on work-based immigration, the country will receive approximately 83,000 foreign workers this year from outside the EU. In recent years, the number has varied from just under 50,000 to around 60,000.
A good half of them come to Italy for seasonal work. About 30,000 employees, on the other hand, receive a work permit from Italy lasting two or three years.
There is an increase especially in the number of people coming to work for several years, says a population researcher specializing in immigration Elena Ambrosetti from Sapienza University of Rome.
– The governments have reduced the residence permits granted on the basis of work-related immigration after the economic crisis of 2008 almost in accordance with the rules. This year’s decision to increase the amounts is therefore exceptional, says Ambrosetti.
The government plans to that in the coming years, up to 250,000 foreign workers could come to the country per year.
In the background is the aging population, labor shortage and voter pressure
Among the parties sitting in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, especially La Lega and the Brothers of Italy are known for their anti-immigration stances and strict policies regarding migrants. In his election campaign last fall, Meloni, for example, promised to completely stop migration to Italy across the Mediterranean.
The labor shortage affecting certain sectors and reduction of the working-age population however, has made the parties take a more open approach to work-based immigration.
Spokesperson for the Mediterranean region of the International Organization for Migration Flavio Di Giacomo says that especially the business life and prosperous entrepreneurs of Northern Italy have been demanding employment measures related to immigration from governments for a long time. In the North, the popularity of right-wing parties is particularly high.
– Even right-wing populists have understood that this is a vital issue for Italy’s economy and future, says Di Giacomo.
In its decision, Meloni’s government appeals to the positive economic effects of immigration. 2.3 million people with a foreign background worked in Italy in 2021. Their share of the creation of the gross domestic product was 9 percent.
Employees, especially for low-paid fields
Italy is looking for foreign labor, especially for low-wage sectors. There is no attempt to attract the highly educated, and therefore there is no discussion like in Finland about, for example, income limits.
Especially tourism and agriculture need seasonal workers. Italy is one of the largest producers of fruit and vegetables in Europe, and a quarter of agricultural products picked up by foreigners.
With longer work permits, people come to work, for example, in the hotel and restaurant industry, in the transport and construction industry, as mechanics, in the telecommunications industry, and in shipyards.
Italian nursing does not have the same labor shortage as in Finland. However, foreign labor is needed in elderly care, i.e. as personal assistants for the elderly.
Italy accepts workers from 33 countrieswith which the country has bilateral agreements.
Otherwise, extortion in immigration policy
More than 50,000 people have already arrived in Italy across the Mediterranean this year. According to the government, increasing legal entry routes will reduce illegal border crossings and the number of undocumented immigrants in the country.
According to the researcher, this is theoretically true. However, some of the government’s other immigration policy actions are in conflict with this, says Ambrosetti.
– At the same time, the government is narrowing the opportunities for newcomers to obtain international protection from Italy. When this was done last time, the number of undocumented people increased by tens of thousands, as fewer and fewer people received protection and therefore ended up staying in the country illegally.
In addition, the government has made it even more difficult for rescue ships to operate in the Mediterranean. Compared to the number of arrivals, the most people have died in the Mediterranean this year since 2017.
Listen here to Ylen’s Uutispodcast about Italy’s immigration policy in the Mediterranean.