Italian companies are accelerating their investments in artificial intelligence, but they struggle to find the professionals needed to manage it. This is the alarm raised by Confartigianato in an analysis referring to 2025.
According to the analysis, out of 621,000 requests for workers with advanced digital skills, 316,000 proved difficult to find. That is 50.8% of the total, figures effectively unfindable on the market.
Investments in the Digital Transition
The Confartigianato research office estimates that 71.8% of companies have made investments in at least one area of the digital transition. These include adopting technologies, integrating them into the organization and developing new business models.
The propensity to invest rises to 73.4% in services. In the manufacturing, utility and construction segment it stands at 70.8%.
The survey considers the skills needed to use and integrate artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the industrial internet of things, data analytics and big data, virtual and augmented reality and blockchain.
The Obstacles Reported by Companies
The lack of qualified personnel is indicated by 58.6% of companies as the main obstacle to using AI. This is followed by a lack of legislative clarity, reported by 47.3%.
Other difficulties include the unavailability or poor quality of the necessary data, at 45.2%, and concerns about privacy and data protection, at 43.2%. High costs, at 43%, and ethical considerations, at 25.7%, also weigh on the picture.
According to the president of Confartigianato, Marco Granelli, AI can become a driver of productivity and competitiveness, but people capable of governing it are needed. The challenge, he noted, concerns skills first of all and the link between schools, universities, the training system and businesses.
The Situation Across Regions and Provinces
Lombardy leads by number of unfindable figures, with 60,960 missing professionals out of 121,440 requests, equal to 50.2%. It is followed by Campania, with 31,130 out of 66,950, and Lazio, with 30,780 out of 66,760.
Further back are Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, followed by Sicily and Puglia. In several smaller regions the share of unfindable figures exceeds 60%, as in Trentino-Alto Adige and Umbria.
At the provincial level, Milan is first, with 29,840 unfindable skills out of 64,320, equal to 46.4%. It is followed by Rome, with 24,580 figures out of 55,240, and Naples, with 16,200 out of 36,010. Bari, Turin, Salerno and Bologna appear further down.
The picture described by Confartigianato highlights a gap between demand for advanced digital skills and the actual availability of workers. The issue concerns the entire country, with particular intensity in areas of greater productive concentration.
Original article: SkyTG24
