Italy's firms confront widening skill gap, with 44% of Tuscan companies unable to find needed profiles

Recent analyses show that while Italy’s overall employment rate has risen above 62%, more than 45% of organisations struggle to recruit workers with the technical and specialist skills demanded by modern operations. The gap is especially acute in AI, machine‑learning, cybersecurity and advanced finance roles, where senior salaries in the north can exceed those in the centre‑south by 15‑20 %. Only 41% of the workforce is currently involved in reskilling programmes, despite 55% of employees expecting AI to be part of daily tasks within the next year.

In Tuscany, the shortage is even more pronounced: 44% of regional firms report an inability to fill required professional profiles, and in the province of Florence the figure rises to 45.3%. To address this structural mismatch, the "Business Tutors 2026" event was held on 16 July at the Auditorio Ridolfi in Florence, presenting a study by the SSATI school based on data from Confindustria Toscana and the Florence Chamber of Commerce. The forum featured discussions with regional officials, industry leaders and journalists on why employers and job‑seekers remain disconnected and how education, transparent salary practices and targeted reskilling could bridge the divide.