Firms Struggle to Fill Over 48% of Job Openings, Study Reveals

Rome: A reported 48.2% of job openings in March remained unfilled as firms had trouble finding qualified workers, up compared to the 47.9% reported in February, according to the Excelsior Bulletin released on Tuesday by Unioncamere and the labour ministry.

According to Ansa News Agency, the mismatch between labour demand and supply in particular affected metalworking companies, where 63.3% of job openings were hard to fill. This was followed by the mechatronics sector with 62.1%, construction at 61.3%, textile, ready-to-wear and footwear at 61.1%, and wood-furniture firms at 55.7%.

The bulletin also stated that the professions that were “nearly impossible to find” included blacksmiths at 75.7%, welders at 75.6%, as well as mechanics and maintenance workers at 73.7%.