Italy adopts decree limiting new education staff appointments

On 21 July 2026 the Italian Ministry of Education issued ministerial decree No. 142, setting the rules for hiring education personnel for the 2026‑27 school year. The decree authorises only 79 new positions nationwide, based solely on projected staff exits, while the overall staff count stands at 2,224 and there are 624 vacancies that will continue to be filled by long‑term precarious contracts.

Union leader Ottavio De Luca of the regional FLC‑CGIL in Campania criticised the measure, saying it “ignores the real needs of educational institutions” and perpetuates a policy focused on turnover rather than demand. He highlighted exhausted graduate lists, the absence of ordinary competitions for education staff since 2000, and the lack of extraordinary recruitment procedures, warning that the gap between authorized staff and actual needs harms school operations and deepens precarious employment.