When it comes to hiring engineering and technical sales professionals in Italy, things are not always as straightforward as they seem. On paper, qualified people are abundant, yet finding those who truly fit your business can be surprisingly difficult.
At Mase Consulting, we’ve spent years supporting technical and commercial recruitment across Europe. Italy is one of the most interesting and complex markets we work in, rich in talent, but full of contrasts that employers need to understand to recruit effectively.
Here’s what makes hiring in Italy unique.
Quality candidates over quantity.
Italy indeed produces a high number of engineering and STEM graduates every year. However, many enter the workforce with excellent theoretical knowledge but limited hands-on experience.
This is partly cultural: students often complete long academic programmes supported by their families, meaning they don’t need to take on part-time or practical work during their studies. As a result, while CVs may look impressive, practical skills and real-world exposure can be limited, especially among those under 35.
When hiring for mid-senior roles, this can lead to a frustrating mismatch:
Dozens of applications look relevant at first glance, but only a small percentage of candidates actually meet your experience level or technical depth.
In short, more applicants don’t always mean more choice; they often mean more time wasted filtering unsuitable profiles.
Slow Movement and a Preference for Stability
In Italy, career loyalty is a cultural value. It’s common for professionals to spend decades, even entire careers, with just one or two employers.
That’s great for retention, but it poses a challenge when you’re trying to attract new talent. Most professionals are not actively job-hunting, and they’ll only consider a move if your opportunity offers clear, long-term stability and a strong reason to change.
Italian candidates typically prioritise:
- Job security over short-term financial gain
- Locality and family balance
- Company reputation and management stability
This means that employers offering frequent role changes, contract positions, or unclear growth paths may struggle to engage serious interest, especially among experienced engineers or managers.
Regional Complexity and Limited Mobility
Italy isn’t one uniform market,it’s a collection of very distinct regions, each with its own industrial identity, culture, and economic rhythm.
For example:
Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna are hubs for automation, manufacturing, and flow control industries.
Piedmont is heavily industrial with deep roots in machinery and automotive.
Tuscany and Lazio lean toward electronics, scientific instrumentation, and defence sectors.
However, Italians are generally reluctant to relocate for work. Moves between regions are rare and often require relocation support or higher compensation. A candidate in Milan may not consider a role in Bologna — even if it’s a great career step — without clear lifestyle incentives.
For employers, this means location strategy matters. Understanding local talent pockets and being open to remote or hybrid arrangements can make all the difference.
Scattered Operations: Offices vs Production
In many Italian companies, commercial offices and production sites are located in completely different regions. It’s common to see a sales HQ in Milan with manufacturing based in Emilia-Romagna or Piedmont.
While this structure works operationally, it complicates recruitment. The local talent available near your site may not match the role’s technical or linguistic needs. You may find:
Strong blue-collar or production skills in one region,
But limited access to sales, management, or engineering talent.
This makes a targeted, region-specific recruitment approach essential. Employers who understand these dynamics — or work with partners who do — will reach the right professionals faster and more effectively.
The Brain Drain, and the Opportunity It Creates
In the past decade, around 30% of Italy’s young professionals have emigrated to other European countries in search of greater opportunity and stability.
But here’s the good news: many of these professionals are now looking to return. With Italy introducing attractive tax incentives for expatriates who move back, employers have a unique window to tap into an experienced, internationally trained talent pool.
Returning Italians often bring:
- Multinational experience
- Fluency in English and other European languages
- A more dynamic, global mindset
Even better, both the returning employee and the hiring company can benefit from significant social tax reductions under the Italian “rientro dei cervelli” (repatriation incentive) scheme.
It’s a win-win opportunity for employers willing to look beyond domestic candidates.
The ‘Courtship Phase’ of Italian Recruitment
Senior hiring in Italy can often feel like a slow dance rather than a transaction.
For roles exceeding €70,000, candidates tend to take their time, assessing company culture, leadership credibility, and job security before making a move.
Employers need patience. Rushing the process or failing to build rapport early often results in losing the candidate. The key is to show stability, respect, and consistency, traits highly valued in Italian professional culture.
In this environment, brand reputation and trust play a major role. Unknown companies or international businesses entering Italy for the first time may encounter resistance or hesitation unless they work with a specialist recruitment partner who can represent them credibly in the local market.
Hiring in Italy is full of opportunity, but it requires local insight, cultural understanding, and a strategy that goes beyond job postings.
At Mase Consulting, we help European employers navigate the Italian talent landscape with precision and confidence. Whether you’re building a sales team in Milan, recruiting engineers in Bologna, or expanding operations across multiple regions, our expertise ensures your hiring process is effective, targeted, and efficient.
If you’re finding it difficult to attract the right talent in Italy, we’re here to help. You can book a call at a time that suits you with one of our recruitment experts here.
