- Immigrant Times
- Oct 15
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 26
Immigrants in Italy: Needed but not loved
Across Italy, immigrants sustain vital sectors and local economies. They work in sectors that native Italians increasingly avoid
By The Immigrant Times
Ibrahim, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, was voted one of Italy’s 50 best pizza makers. Filipino nurses are sought after across Italy, while immigrants from Senegal take on agricultural jobs that native Italians don’t want to do any longer.
October 2025: Italy has long been both a crossroads and a destination for migration, reflecting its role at the heart of the Mediterranean and the European Union. Today, more than 5.4 million foreign residents, around nine per cent of the population, call Italy home. They come from every continent, drawn by work opportunities, family connections, or the country’s deep cultural ties to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Romanians, Albanians, and Moroccans make up the largest communities, but growing numbers from Asia and Eastern Europe are also reshaping Italy’s social fabric. Together, these groups contribute not only to the economy but also to the evolving story of a nation that continues to balance tradition, diversity, and change.
Italy’s mixed views of immigration
According to a 2025 survey by the European Migration Observatory, 62 per cent of Italians believe immigration is essential for the country’s future. Yet 48 per cent associate it with increased crime or social instability. This duality plays out in everyday life, from media portrayals to political rhetoric. Migrants are alternately portrayed as victims or risks depending on the political context. This ‘polarisation of empathy’, the survey’s authors note, mirrors the broader public divide.
Sociological research on ‘ethnic threat’ theory similarly finds that economic conditions and job insecurity fuel anti-immigrant sentiment: when Italians perceive immigrants as competitors for employment or welfare, negativity rises.
At the same time, personal contact tends to humanise perceptions. Where Italians and immigrants work, study, or live side by side, stereotypes often fade, replaced by familiarity and pragmatism.
The survey quotes an immigrant from Senegal: “When I arrived from Senegal, I felt invisible,” says Mamadou Diop, a 29-year-old agricultural worker in Puglia. “People didn’t look at me, didn’t speak to me. But once I started speaking Italian and working regularly, things changed.”
Origin matters
Immigrants from Eastern Europe, including Romania, Albania, and Ukraine, often experience smoother integration. Shared religious traditions, physical appearance, and EU mobility rights help ease their transition.
In contrast, migrants from Africa and the Middle East, particularly those arriving via the Mediterranean, face greater scrutiny and stigma. They are frequently perceived as refugees or irregular arrivals, which can hinder access to housing, employment, and social acceptance. Studies of Italy’s labour market show that immigrants from outside the EU report higher levels of discrimination, overqualification, and occupational segregation.
The distinction is often racialised: two migrants may perform the same job, yet one is perceived as ‘European and industrious’, the other as ‘foreign and suspect’.
According to Italy’s XIII Report on Foreigners in the Labour Market (2024), more than 75 per cent of foreign workers hold blue-collar positions, and non-EU nationals are significantly more likely to be employed below their educational level.
“There’s a hierarchy,” explains Dr Lucia Ferrara, a sociologist at Sapienza University. Eastern Europeans are seen as workers. Africans and Arabs are seen as problems.”
Immigrants in Italy
By countries of origin
Romania: ~1.2 million
Albania: ~416,000
Morocco: ~412,000
China: ~300,000
Ukraine: ~240,000
Philippines: ~170,000
India: ~157,000
Bangladesh: ~140,000
Moldova: 100,000+
Egypt 100,000+
Pakistan: 100,000+
Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Senegal: 90,000+
Polish immigrants form a notable, though not among the largest, foreign community in Italy. As of 2025, there are an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Polish citizens residing in the country. Most live in northern and central regions, where they work primarily in construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and domestic services. As a member of the European Union, Poland allows Polish nationals to benefit from freedom of movement. Consequently, many Polish nationals come for short-term or seasonal employment and may not register as long-term residents, resulting in lower official counts. Despite their relatively modest numbers, Poles are well integrated, often characterised by stable employment, a strong work ethic, and close cultural and religious ties with Italy. Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) was born in Poland.
Italy cannot do without immigrants
Despite public ambivalence, immigrants are indispensable to the Italian economy. As of 2024, 5.25 million foreign citizens lived in Italy, around 8.9 per cent of the population, and roughly 2.4 million of them were employed. Foreign workers account for 10.3 per cent of all employment, and the number of non-EU workers has grown faster than that of EU nationals in recent years.
Most foreign workers in Italy are employed in labour-intensive sectors such as domestic services (30% of all immigrant workers), agriculture (18%), hospitality and restaurants (17%) and construction and logistics (16%).
In 2024, for example, Reuters reported that in Italy, 34 per cent of new hires for cooks and pizza makers and 58 per cent of new kitchen staff were non-EU nationals.
Yet the same sectors that depend most on immigrant labour are often those with the poorest conditions. Informal employment (‘off-the-books’ work) remains widespread, especially in agriculture and construction. Injury rates among migrants are higher: 3.3 per cent compared to 2.8 per cent among Italian-born workers.
Immigrants are a major contributor to the Italian economy. Between 1960 and 2016, foreign labour generated an estimated €241 billion net contribution through taxes and social security.
Across Italy, immigrants sustain vital sectors and local economies. They work in sectors that native Italians increasingly avoid.
2025 data published by the Italian Labour Ministry shows that:
• Agriculture commonly employs immigrants from Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia. They are employed during harvesting times as seasonal workers.
• Domestic services and care commonly employ immigrants from Romania, Ukraine and the Philippines. They are employed as housekeepers and carers for elderly people.
• Construction commonly employs immigrants from Albania and Romania. They often come with skills needed in construction.
• Hospitality commonly employs immigrants from Egypt, Bangladesh and Nigeria. They work as servers, kitchen staff and cleaners.
In Lombardy, Filipino and Peruvian care workers form the backbone of elderly care services. In Calabria, African agricultural workers have formed cooperatives to fight exploitation. In Rome and Naples, immigrant-owned restaurants and shops have revitalised entire neighbourhoods.
Immigrants as seen through the eyes of the media
Even though Italy would be a much poorer country without immigrants, their economic, social and cultural contributions are hardly ever mentioned in the media.
In surveys, Italians routinely overestimate the immigrant population, believing it to be about 30 per cent of the total, more than triple the reality. This ‘perception gap’ is sustained by media emphasis on irregular arrivals and crime, rather than on work and integration. Social media research finds that migration is framed in binary moral terms: either as a crisis to be controlled or as a humanitarian cause to be defended, rarely as an ordinary feature of modern Italian life.
Political communication exacerbates this imbalance. During election cycles, anti-immigration content dominates Facebook and TikTok ad campaigns, accounting for nearly 65 per cent of engagement on migration-related issues.
Sources:
• “The Polarisation of Empathy: A Decade of Italian Twitter Conversations on Migration,” Journal of International Migration and Integration (Springer, 2025)
• Valeria Bello, “Economic Threat, Prejudice, and Immigration in Italy,” Social Sciences (2022)
• Integrazione Migranti, “XIII Report: Foreigners in the Labour Market in Italy” (Ministry of Labour, 2024),
• EURES, “Labour Market Information: Italy,” (European Employment Services, 2024)
• Angelo Amante, “Migrants Are Making Their Mark in Italy’s Restaurant Kitchens,” Reuters, October 10 2024
• European Labour Authority, “Undeclared Work in Italy,” (2024)
• Savina Tarsitano et al., “Political Advertising and Migration Narratives on Facebook in Italy
Further reading: Teaching refugees in Italy || Europe's Nordic nations view immigration positively ||
Comments & observations
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Comment by Renato P., Bardi, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
This article mentions many immigrants from many countries but no mention of Poland. Most carers in Bardi are from Poland, Romania and Moldova. All women. The local Parmesan factory is completely staffed by Indians mostly men. Just a snap shot of a village way off the main road of Italy, but no doubt repeated elsewhere.
Comment by Isabella, E., Catania, Sicily, Italy
Il titolo secondo cui l'Italia avrebbe una visione confusa sull'immigrazione è ingiusto e fuorviante. La maggior parte degli italiani è ben consapevole dei vantaggi dell'immigrazione. Tuttavia, temono anche che un forte afflusso di persone provenienti da culture diverse e con abitudini diverse possa danneggiare la coesione sociale locale.
Comment by Giulia M., Oliveri, Sicily, Italy
Trovo che il tono del suo articolo sugli immigrati in Italia sia troppo negativo e probabilmente si basi su informazioni provenienti dalle grandi città. Nei piccoli comuni, come qui a Oliveri, in Sicilia, gli immigrati fanno parte della società. Tutti vanno d'accordo con tutti.
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