Work, one in 3 interviews is missed because no one shows up

On the one hand, the industrial crises of large companies such as Electrolux, Natuzzi, Nestlé, backhoeetc., risk causing thousands and thousands of redundancies. On the other, many businessesespecially small ones, continue to face growing difficultyin finding qualified personnel.

An increasingly evident phenomenon: in 2025, for example, almost a job interview out of three it failed because no candidate showed up for the selection. This is what the Research Office says Cgia. The difficulty in finding staff due to a lack of candidates is a phenomenon that has exploded in recent years.

Recruitments failed

By analyzing the historical series of results emerging from the periodic interviews carried out with Italian entrepreneurs by Unioncamere and by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies within the Information System Excelsiorit emerges that in 2017 the hiring just under 400,000 failed due to the absence of candidates, equal to 9.7 percent of the expected total; in 2025, however, this phenomenon occurred in over 1,750,000 cases, reaching 30.2 percent.

The sectors most affected

A real boom with peaks of non-sourcing which last year reached 39 percent in the constructions35.2 in that of wood-furniture and just under 35 percent among companies multiutility (water, energy, gas, etc.).

The difficulties of finding

If we broaden the field of observation, in 2025, compared to 5.8 million hirings expected in Italy, 2.7 million (equal to 47 percent of the total) were difficult to find; of which 1.7 million (30.2 percent) due to lack of candidates, 765,500 due to inadequate preparation (13 percent) and almost 216,400 (3.7 percent) for other reasons.

The reasons for the change

The reasons are many according to the Cgiaand taken together, they explain “a profound change in labor market“. First of all, many young people have changed their scale of priorities: they are no longer just looking for a salary, but also a balance between private life and work, flexibility, the possibility of growth.

The offers are unattractive

When an offer proposes low wagesheavy hours or few prospects, often prefer to give up even before the interview. Then there is a problem demographic: young people are numerically fewer than in the past. As a result, they have become a hard-to-find resource in many industries.

The misalignment between supply and demand

It also affects the misalignment between supply and demand. Many companies are looking for technical or specialized figures that the school system is no longer able to train in sufficient quantities.

The selections discourage candidates

Another element concerns the way in which personnel is selected. Long procedures, multiple interviews, endless response times or unclear announcements discourage many candidates. Some send resumes to dozens of companies at once and then disappear as soon as they find an opportunity considered better.

To get closer labor supply and demandaccording to the association, “it is necessary to build a more direct relationship between school, training e productive world. Many young people know little about the opportunities offered by companies and often have a negative perception of them private workconsidered precarious, not very stable or of little value”.

“We need to reverse this trend quality internships, internships well-paid and orientation courses that make professions, trades and career possibilities concretely known”.

Investments in young people

“Companies must also invest more in young people, through continuous trainingorganizational flexibility and modern, meritocratic work environments. Even the language of corporate communication must change, becoming closer to the new generations”.

The social role of the company

“Finally, it is important to enhance the social role ofprivate enterprisewhich represents one of the main drivers of employmentinnovation and economic growth of the country”.

The Northeast is the area most in difficulty’

Il Northeast it is the geographical area most in difficulty. Among the top five regions of Italy which present the highest percentage of difficulties in finding personnel due to the lack of candidates during the selection tests, four can be traced back to the geographical distribution of the North-East.

The area most in difficulty is the Aosta Valley which in 2025 saw the selection fail for the reason just mentioned in 39.5 percent of cases. They follow the Trentino Alto Adige (39 percent), the Friuli Venezia Giulia (37.4 percent), the Veneto (33.5 percent) andEmilia Romagna (33 percent).

The least affected region

The region least “affected” by this specificity is the Puglia which “only”, so to speak, in almost 25 cases out of 100 saw the selection fail because no one showed up.

The provinces with the most difficulties

The provinces that see the “jump” the most job selections due to the lack of candidates are those characterized by a strong presence of activitiestourism/hotel with an equally significant diffusion in thebuildingfrom the metalworking and for Udine also of wood-furniture.

The reality of Italy most in difficulty is Trento which in 2025 saw 40 percent of job selections fail. They follow Aosta with 39.5, Udine with 39.1, Bolzano with 38.1 e Belluno with 37.7.

The provinces least “snubbed” by those looking for a job, however, are Avellino (24.4 percent), Taranto (24 percent) e Bari (23,9).