(Telestock) – There are 538 thousand workers wanted by companies in September, with a fixed-term contract of more than one month or a permanent contract. The employment forecasts of the Excelsior Information System Bulletin, produced by Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, show an increase of 7 thousand units compared to what was planned in September 2023 (+1.3%), while for the September-November 2024 quarter the expected hirings slightly exceed 1.4 million, remaining almost stable compared to
to the same period in 2023 (+0.1%).
The growth forecast for the current month is driven by the services sector: 386 thousand contracts planned (+3.9% compared to 12 months ago), and over 1 million in the quarter, with the decisive contribution for employment growth coming from tourism companies (+21.4% in September) and commercial companies (+25.4%). On the other hand, demand from industrial companies slowed down both in September (152 thousand, -7 thousand entries compared to a year ago; -4.6%), and in the quarter (418 thousand entries, -25 thousand entries; -5.7%).
In particular, In September, manufacturing companies are looking for approximately 98 thousand workers (-1.0%), while construction companies are looking for over 54 thousand (-10.5%). Among the main manufacturing sectors that are planning to hire, the mechatronics sector stands out with around 24 thousand contracts in the month and 64 thousand in the quarter (-6.8% in the month and -7.8 in the quarter) followed by metallurgy with 18 thousand contracts in the month and 48 thousand in the quarter (-10.2% and -12.9% respectively) and the food industries that are looking for 17 thousand workers in September and 49 thousand for the entire September-November quarter (respectively +23.7% and +23.5%).
In the tertiary sector, The services to people seeking employment offer the greatest job opportunities 101 thousand workers in the month (-9.0%) and approximately 201 thousand in the quarter (-15.7%). Tourism follows with 84 thousand requests in the month (+21.4%) and 238 thousand in the quarter (+22.9%) and trade with 75 thousand workers in the month (+25.4%) and 230 thousand in the quarter (+24.1%).
From a dimensional point of view, the expectations of medium-large sized companies are positive with +9 thousand entries in the month (+2.3%) and +15 thousand in the quarter (+1.5%), while the forecasts of companies with up to 9 employees are decreasing, respectively -1.8 thousand entries compared to 12 months ago (-1.3%) and -13 thousand in the quarter (-3.2%).
The fixed-term contracts remain the most popular type of contract with 306 thousand units, equal to 56.9% of the total, followed by permanent contracts (104 thousand).
In September, companies reported difficulty in finding over 254 thousand hires (47.2% of the total), mainly due to the “lack of candidates” (30.4%). The professional groups with the highest mismatch are specialized workers (65.6% of the hard-to-find income), managers (61.4%), technical professions (52.9%) and operators of fixed and mobile systems (51.5%). In particular, the Excelsior Professions Bulletin reports that the most difficult to find figures include specialized workers in construction finishing (79.0%), blacksmiths and tool makers (78.8%), tool makers, workers and craftsmen in wood treatment (76.0%) and foundries and welders (73.3%). Also difficult to find are technicians in the management of production processes for goods and services (71.9%), mechanics, assemblers and repairers (69.5%), beauty care operators (66.3%) and technicians in the engineering field (65.6%).
The companies they are looking for immigrant workers to cover over 100 thousand entries planned for the month of September, equal to 19.4% of the total contracts. Among the sectors that make the most use of foreign labor are: operational support services for businesses and individuals (34.3% of planned entries will be covered by immigrant personnel), transport, logistics and warehousing services (32.8%), metallurgy (23.6%), accommodation and catering services (23.3%) and food (19.5%).
Opportunities for young people “under 30” are close to 165 thousand units, equal to 30.6% of the total hiring expected in September. The greatest employment opportunities for young people are offered by financial and insurance services (48% of the entries covered by young people), by IT and telecommunications services (47.6%), by media and communication services (47.4%), by
trade (41.2%) and accommodation and food services (41.0%).
At a territorial level, the demand for work from companies in the North West and Central Italy is growing (+6 thousand hires for both territorial areas), the demand for work from companies in the South and the Islands is almost stable while a decline is reported for companies in the North East (-4 thousand hires).