There is no resignation, but awareness yes, that many profiles that Bergamo companies are pursuing could once again remain unanswered.
According to the Excelsior information system bulletin created by Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor are in fact 23,990 employment contracts lasting more than one month or for an indefinite period scheduled in the June-August quarter in the province of Bergamo, with an almost stable trend compared to the same period in 2023 (plus 0.6%). The point is that 47.3% of the profiles searched continue to be difficult to find, partly due to lack of adequate preparation, but above all due to the absence of candidates.
Bergamo third in Lombardy
Bergamo confirms itself as the third province in Lombardy for number of searches (10.1%) after Milan, which has the lion’s share with 45.3%, and Brescia (12.2%), with the greatest opportunities reported by the small businesses that characterize the area, even if in the quarter the market is almost equally divided a little ‘ among all size classes.
The search for personnel is driven by services (33.2%) and manufacturing (28.9%), followed by tourism (14%), construction (12.2%) and trade (11.7%). The first three sectors reveal needs in line with those of a year ago, while requests in construction grow by 1.8% and those in trade fall by almost 2%.
Manufacturing is on the hunt for 6,930 workers in the quarter, with the greatest opportunities offered by mechatronics industries
In services, 7,950 entries are expected between June and August, in particular regarding personal services (2,330), operational services (2,370) and transport and logistics (1,760).
Manufacturing is on the hunt for 6,930 workers in the quarter, with the greatest opportunities offered by the mechatronics industries, which need 1,920 workers in the quarter, followed by metallurgical and metal products companies (1,680) and chemical and pharmaceutical companies (1,150).
Also thanks to the summer season, the contracts offered in the tourism and catering sectors are 3,360, while in construction 2,940 hires are expected in the quarter and 2,810 in trade.
«Trade in distress»
«Trade is suffering – confirms the director of Confcommercio Bergamo, Oscar Fusini -because the food sector pays for the consumption crisis due to the increase in prices, while the non-food sector suffers competition from e-commerce, which kills jobs or creates less qualitative ones than those it replaces. Tourism, however, is doing very well and the third quarter represents the peak moment of our seasonality with peaks in June and September”.
«Companies confident in a recovery»
In the manufacturing sector «the decline in hiring in the first three months of the year also derives from a cautious attitude on the part of companies, who however are confident in a recovery and therefore continue to look for staff – comments the president of the Mechatronics group of Confindustria Bergamo, Agostino Piccinali -. It is expected that the data for the second quarter may already be improving and that with the post-election adjustment of the European institutions the economy will start moving again. On the other hand, the United States is doing very well, China is also progressing despite a slowdown in growth rates, and we, who are exporters, and therefore involved in all markets, can only be optimistic.”
Trade unions: encourage mobility with training courses
According to the unions, a possible way out would be to encourage mobility with training courses internal or external to companies. «We just think – he points out Orazio Amboni of the CGIL of Bergamo – to how many immigrants are unable to grow professionally because companies, especially the smaller ones, which are the vast majority here, do not grant training permits. And then the regional territorial supply chain pacts, designed specifically to cover the needs of businesses, should also be started in earnest.”
