The number of applications for seasonal foreign workers submitted by Italian employers has reportedly surged, exceeding the cap of 82,550 on the first day of the application process, according to Italian officials.

Although the exact number of applications is unknown, it is clear that Italian firms applied for far more foreign workers than the limit, predicting a severe labor shortage that would especially damage the agricultural and other industries.

The first application day, or “click day,” was restricted to requests from the hotel, tourism, and agriculture sectors, according to Coldiretti, the Italian agricultural association. There is no breakdown of the industries requesting the greatest number of foreign workers, although the areas with the greatest demand for labor saw the greatest number of applications.

The apple-harvesting region of Trentino saw a significant increase in demand for immigrant labor. In a similar vein, the wine-producing regions of Venezia Giulia, Lazio, which specializes in vegetable agriculture, and Campania, which is famed for its tomato and tobacco farming, also reported a significant need for foreign labor.

Authorities withheld detailed information regarding the nationalities of the workers sought, but Coldiretti noted that the nations that contributed the greatest number of seasonal workers were Morocco, Albania, Senegal, Pakistan, Tunisia, Nigeria, and North Macedonia.

Coldiretti underlined that in 2022, foreign laborers contributed to one-third of “Made in Italy” items, underscoring the crucial role these workers play during peak seasons. More significantly, Italy is experiencing a manpower shortage that affects highly skilled occupations like physiotherapy, nursing, and medicine.