Presenting its annual immigration dossier on 13 January, the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL) said that 5.4 million foreigners—9.2 % of the population—were officially resident in Italy on 1 January 2025.citeturn16view0
The think-tank notes that while Italy’s native population fell by 2.27 million between 2012 and 2024, net immigration added 1.1 million people, cushioning—but not reversing—the demographic slide. Romania remains the largest community (1.73 million), followed by Albania and Morocco. Lombardy alone hosts nearly 23 % of all foreign residents.
![CNEL report: foreign residents reach 5.4 million, tempering Italy’s demographic decline]()
CNEL argues that immigration is “structural, not an emergency,” and urges the government to move beyond security-centric measures toward long-term integration, vocational training and regularisation of undocumented workers. Trade-union representatives at the launch criticised the reliance on unpredictable click-day quotas, calling for multi-year admission frameworks aligned with labour-market forecasting.
For employers, the report reinforces the case for stable legal pathways. With working-age Italians expected to shrink by another 3 % by 2030, sectors such as logistics, elder-care and construction will depend increasingly on migrant labour. Companies are advised to expand language-training budgets and to review equality policies to remain competitive in talent attraction.
Policy-makers are already citing the findings in parliamentary debates on a forthcoming security-and-migration decree. The data could influence quota sizes for 2027-2029 and feed into discussions on a points-based immigration pilot that the Meloni government is reportedly studying.
The think-tank notes that while Italy’s native population fell by 2.27 million between 2012 and 2024, net immigration added 1.1 million people, cushioning—but not reversing—the demographic slide. Romania remains the largest community (1.73 million), followed by Albania and Morocco. Lombardy alone hosts nearly 23 % of all foreign residents.
CNEL argues that immigration is “structural, not an emergency,” and urges the government to move beyond security-centric measures toward long-term integration, vocational training and regularisation of undocumented workers. Trade-union representatives at the launch criticised the reliance on unpredictable click-day quotas, calling for multi-year admission frameworks aligned with labour-market forecasting.
For employers, the report reinforces the case for stable legal pathways. With working-age Italians expected to shrink by another 3 % by 2030, sectors such as logistics, elder-care and construction will depend increasingly on migrant labour. Companies are advised to expand language-training budgets and to review equality policies to remain competitive in talent attraction.
Policy-makers are already citing the findings in parliamentary debates on a forthcoming security-and-migration decree. The data could influence quota sizes for 2027-2029 and feed into discussions on a points-based immigration pilot that the Meloni government is reportedly studying.
Source: Conquiste del Lavoro
