The europa.jobs portal is opening up to newer and newer directions of economic emigration! Apart from standard job offers in Germany, the Netherlands or Scandinavia, we will find job offers in Mediterranean countries such as Spain or Italy. In today’s article, we will answer two key questions about working in Italy: Is working in Italy profitable? In which industry can you find employment?
Entry to Italy
Italy belongs to the European Union, therefore people from european countries traveling to Italy have the right to free movement. This means that you can enter Italy with one of the following documents:
- passport
- temporary passport
- ID card
Every visitor from EU countries has the right to stay legally for a period of 90 days. After this time, you must report your stay to the competent municipal office (comune) by submitting an application for registration.
Work in Italy – popular industries
Italy is a very attractive destination for people who decide to go to seasonal work. Most often you can find job offers at harvest in vineyards, orchards and tomato and citrus plantations. When working in this capacity, knowledge of a foreign language is not required. It is enough to learn a few basic phrases in Italian to be able to establish contact with colleagues at work or the owner of the vineyard / plantation.
There also appear many job offers for the summer season in tourist resorts. You can find employment, among others as:
- barman
- waiter / waitress
- cook
- kitchen helper
- housemaid
- leisure time animator
Remember that work in the tourism sector requires knowledge of English, often at a level higher than communicative. Knowledge of the Italian language (at least at the basic level) will be an advantage.
Permanent employment in Italy can be found in the following positions:
- carer / babysitter for children / sitter for the elderly
- home helper
- male nurse / female nurse
- construction engineer
- highly qualified specialist
For such a work, knowledge of the Italian language is very often required, because in Italy it is sometimes difficult to communicate in English.
Sample earnings in Italy
The average salary in Italy in 2023 is only 1740 EUR net per month or 2479 EUR gross.
Recent research by Osservatorio JobPricing shows that earnings in Italy vary by region. In northern Italy, you can earn much more than in the south of the country. Statistics show that the difference in earnings between North and South can be up to 6,000 euros!
In the table below you can find examples of annual earnings in Northern, Central and Southern Italy:
Northern Italy | average earnings: EUR 30 600 per year highest average earnings: Lombardy – EUR 31 700 |
| Central Italy (Lazio, Marche, Toscana, Umbria) | average earnings: EUR 28 570 per year |
| Southern Italy | average earnings: EUR 26 000 per year |
In Italy, there is no fixed minimum wage. The amount of remuneration in individual regions is determined by agreement with the local trade unions of CCNL. Other factors taken into account are the qualifications of the employee and the nature of the work performed. What does it mean? When determining the rate for an employee, attention is paid not only to the working hours, but also to the employment category (livello di inquadramento).
Here are some examples of earnings for individual positions:
| Position | The amount of remuneration |
| Housekeeper at the guesthouse | EUR 700-1200 net / month |
| Carer / sitter for the elderly | EUR 800-1200 net / month |
| C+E category driver | EUR 2500 net / month |
| Garbage truck driver | EUR 2000 net / month |
| Waitress | EUR 1000 – 1200 net /month |
| Production worker | EUR 1000 net / month |
| Forklift operator | EUR 1500 – 2000 net / month |
| Housemaid | EUR 1300 – 1700 net / month |
| Kitchen helper | EUR 1600 – 1800 net / month |
In Italy, it is rare to find job offers without the required knowledge of the Italian language. Even the basic knowledge of the language will be a big plus when recruiting. It is a valuable skill that will affect not only the comfort and communication in the workplace, but also give the opportunity to apply for a more interesting job with a higher salary. Maybe you should start learning Italian?
If you dream of working in a warm Mediterranean climate, check now
