25 Jobs in Italy for foreigners in 2023
Amidst the sprawling Italian countryside, a challenge presents itself to those who would call it home: employment. These winding roads and rolling hills have called out to many, but securing a job in the country can be difficult. Italy is infamous for its poor employment reputation and high youth unemployment. But it is not an impossible feat for the intrepid soul with a thirst for adventure.
The EU has the upper hand. EU citizens have the advantage of the freedom of movement, enabling them to live and work in Italy. But for the outsiders, it’s a test of endurance.
The job market, ever-evolving, now lifts its voice and calls for tech-savvy individuals. However, those with experience in HR, legal, and business development may also find a place in this beautiful country. With multinational corporations sprouting in the bustling city of Milan, the opportunity to put your skills to the test has never been greater.
LinkedIn, a trusted name in the world of employment, has published a list of jobs in Italy for foreigners in 2023. In this list, one will find the specialties that have experienced outstanding growth in the last five years (an indication of the nation’s shifting demands).
From the expert hands of Sales Specialists to the cunning minds of Cybersecurity Analysts, the opportunities are there for those willing to grasp them. Even Sustainability Consultants, who aid businesses in their journey towards environmental responsibility, are in high demand.
And for those who do not yet speak Italian, fear not. Many international companies in Italy do not require proficiency in the language.
So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and head to Italy, where your skills may find a place to flourish and grow. The road ahead may be difficult, but the rewards are worth the journey.
Ah, the shimmering lights of Italy, the land of amore and opportunity. Here is the list, a roster of the elite 25 positions available. You will also have the requisite core skills and the desired experience for each job. So, take heart, dear reader, and embark on your journey to find your place in this sun-kissed land of dreams.
Sales Specialist/Business developer (Addetto allo sviluppo aziendale)
Sales development officers are responsible for prospecting potential new customers, searching for qualified leads, and offering products that meet their needs throughout the sales cycle.
Most popular skills: Lead generation, B2B, and Sales.
Most represented industries: Technology and media, professional services, financial services
Current gender distribution: 54% female; 46% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.4
Most frequent positions previously held: Business development representative, Salesperson
Ability to work remotely: 36.2%.
Sustainability consultant (Manager della sostenibilità )
Sustainability specialists create, oversee and implement sustainability strategies within organizations.
Most Popular Skills: Sustainability Reporting, Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility
Most Represented Sectors: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, and media
Current gender distribution: 63% women; 37% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3.5
Most frequent positions previously held: Sustainability consultant, Sustainability analyst, Project manager
Ability to work remotely: 2.2%.
Cybersecurity analyst (SOC analyst or Specialista di sicurezza informatica)
Cybersecurity analysts are responsible for corporate cybersecurity, which they maintain by monitoring activity on websites, servers, and databases for threats.
Most popular skills: Cybersecurity, Vulnerability assessment, and Network security.
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and media, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 26% female; 74% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 1.8
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Cybersecurity consultant, Cybersecurity analyst
Ability to work remotely: 8.8%.
Customer success manager
Customer success managers focus on the company’s customer portfolio through all stages of the sales process, intending to establish positive relationships and build loyalty.
Most popular skills: Customer engagement, CRM, Customer experience
Most represented sectors: Technology and media, Professional services, financial services
Current gender distribution: 63% female; 37% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 5.1
Most frequent positions previously held: Account manager, Sales manager
Ability to work remotely: 26%.
Pharmacy manager
Pharmacy directors are responsible for managing and coordinating the operational activities of a pharmacy.
Most Popular Skills: Health Care, Pharmaceutical Sales, Pharmacy
Most Represented Sectors: Hospitals and health care facilities, Retail
Current gender distribution: 60% women; 40% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3.8
Most frequent positions previously held: Pharmacist
Ability to work remotely: N/A
Data engineer (Ingegnere dei dati)
Data engineers are concerned with identifying trends in collected raw data sets and developing or refining systems to make them suitable for analytical or operational uses.
Most popular skills: Big data, Hadoop, Apache Spark
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and media, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 28% female; 72% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Data analyst, IT consultant
Ability to work remotely: 20.9%.
Cloud Architect/Cloud Engineer
Cloud engineers are IT professionals who perform tasks related to cloud computing, such as monitoring and maintaining infrastructure and servers.
Most popular skills: Amazon Web Services, Cloud computing, Linux
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology, and Media
Current gender distribution: 18% female; 82% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3.4
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, DevOps engineer, Full stack engineer
Ability to work remotely: 40.2%.
Cyber security engineer (ingegnere della cibersicurezza)
Cloud Cyber security engineers create and implement solutions to protect computer systems from hacker attacks.
Most popular skills: Cyber security, Network security, Information systems protection
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, and Media
Current gender distribution: 22% female; 78% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 4
Most frequent positions previously held: Information Security Consultant, Systems Engineer, Software Engineer
Ability to work remotely: 18%.
Machine Learning Engineer (Ingegnere dell’apprendimento automatico)
Machine learning engineers are programmers who specialize in the design, implementation, and maintenance of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence systems.
Most popular skills: Machine learning, Computer vision, Neural networks
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and media, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 21% women; 79% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 1.8
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Data engineer, Machine learning specialist
Ability to work remotely: 27.1%.
Business development manager (Responsabili dello sviluppo aziendale)
Business development managers are sales representatives responsible for forming new partnerships and identifying growth opportunities for the company.
Most common skills: Business development, Business Strategy, Sales management
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, and Media
Current gender distribution: 39% female; 61% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 5
Most frequent positions previously held: Account manager, Business development manager, Sales manager
Ability to work remotely: 27%.
Salesforce developer (Sviluppatore Salesforce)
Salesforce developers are programmers responsible for creating and implementing applications or features based on the Salesforce CRM solution.
Most popular skills: Oracle Application Express, Salesforce.com, JavaScript
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Public Administration
Current gender distribution: 25% female; 75% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.5
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Java software engineer, Salesforce consultant
Ability to work remotely: 30.9%.
Solutions Engineer
Solutions engineers work with sales teams as technical experts to sell IT solutions to customers.
Most popular skills: Cloud computing, Software development, Business Intelligence
Most represented industries: Technology and media, Professional services, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 33% female; 67% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 5
Most frequent positions previously held: Business analyst, Solutions Architect, Project manager
Ability to work remotely: 19.3%.
Procurement manager (responsabili ufficio acquisti che potresti)
The procurement of goods and services is the responsibility of procurement office managers. Negotiating with suppliers and determining purchasing strategies and methods are also part of their responsibilities.
Most popular skills: Supplier Management, Negotiation, E-procurement
Most represented industries: Manufacturing, Professional Services, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Resources
Current gender distribution: 52% female; 48% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3.5
Most frequent positions previously held: Procurement Specialist, Procurement manager, Project manager
Ability to work remotely: 2%.
PLC programmer
PLC programmers create and manage application software for machinery and industrial plants driven by programmable logic devices.
Most popular skills: PLC, Automation, Programming
Most represented industries: Manufacturing, Technology and Media, Professional Services
Current gender distribution: 21% female; 79% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.8
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer
Ability to work remotely: N/A.
Back-end developer (Sviluppatore back-end)
Back-end developers are responsible for building and maintaining the components of a Web site that are not visible to the user, such as servers, databases, and APIs.
Most popular skills: Git, Spring Framework, Back-end web development
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and Media, Financial Services
Current gender distribution: 20% women; 80% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 3
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Full stack engineer, Web developer
Ability to work remotely: 34.8%.
Partnership manager
Partnerships managers manage relationships with corporate partners, working toward achieving goals common to both parties.
Most common skills: Business plan, Marketing strategy, Business development
Most represented sectors: Technology and media, Professional services, Financial services
Current gender distribution: 50 percent female; 50 percent male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 5.2
Most frequent positions previously held: Account manager, Sales manager, Project manager
Ability to work remotely: 15.9 percent.
M&A Consultant (Consulente M&A)
M&A consultants advise on acquisition and merger processes between companies.
Most popular skills: Mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, Due diligence
Most represented industries: Professional services, financial services, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 33% women; 67% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.7
Most frequent positions previously held: Mergers and acquisitions associate, Mergers and acquisitions analyst, Lawyer
Ability to work remotely: 1%.
Learning and development specialist (specialista formazione e sviluppo)
Learning and development specialists are responsible for creating and implementing training programs for companies and employees.
Most popular skills: Training and development, learning management systems, E-learning
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, and Media
Current gender distribution: 81% women; 19% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.9
Most frequent positions previously held: Human Resources
Ability to work remotely: 0.7%.
DevOps Engineer
DevOps engineers are IT professionals who work with IT departments at various stages of the new software development cycle.
Most popular skills: Docker Products, Amazon Web Services, DevOps
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and Media, Financial Services
Current gender distribution: 16% female; 84% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 4.2
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer, Full stack engineer, DevOps specialist
Ability to work remotely: 73.3%.
Product Owner
Product owners work directly with development teams to maximize the value of products.
Most popular skills: Agile project management, Product management, User experience (UX)
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Technology, and media, financial services
Current gender distribution: 44% female; 56% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 4.6
Most frequent positions previously held: Project manager, Business analyst, Product manager
Ability to work remotely: 15.6%.
Robotics Engineer (Ingegnere robotico)
Robotics engineers are involved in designing, constructing, and testing robots. Automation is valuable in many industries.
Most popular skills: Robotics, Automation, Programming
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, and Media
Current gender distribution: 30 percent women; 70 percent men
Average years of experience before taking on the role: 1.6
Most frequent positions previously held: Software engineer
Ability to work remotely: 4.6 percent.
Legal advisor (consulente legale)
Legal advisors are responsible for providing opinions and information to clients on specific legal issues in certain circumstances or transactions.
Most common skills: Legal assistance, Legal writing, corporate law
Most represented sectors: Public Administration, Professional Services, Financial Services
Current gender distribution: 62% women; 38% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.3
Most frequent positions previously held: Lawyer, Legal Specialist
Ability to work remotely: 3.2%.
Brand Specialist
Brand specialists manage the image of a particular corporate brand, developing and implementing marketing projects aimed at increasing its visibility.
Most popular skills: Brand management, Marketing strategy, social media
Most represented industries: Technology and Media, Manufacturing, Retail
Current gender distribution: 63% women; 37% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.7
Most frequent positions previously held: Brand manager, Product manager, Business analyst
Ability to work remotely: 4.2%.
Strategy manager (strategy manager o consulente strategico)
Strategy managers are responsible for setting plans to achieve business growth objectives.
Most common skills: Business plan, Marketing strategy, Management consulting
Most represented industries: Professional services, Technology and Media, Manufacturing industry
Current gender distribution: 42% women; 58% men
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 5.2
Most frequent positions previously held: Strategy consultant, Management consultant, Project manager
Ability to work remotely: 2.5%.
Human resources specialist (Specialista amministrativo risorse umane)
Human resources administrative specialists deal with the various aspects of personnel management, including coordinating payroll and leave.
Most common skills: Human resource management, Employee relations, Administration
Most represented industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Administrative, and Support Services
Current gender distribution: 81% female; 19% male
Average years of experience before assuming the role: 2.9
Most frequent positions previously held: Personnel Recruiter, Payroll Specialist, Payroll Administration
Ability to work remotely: 0.6%.
The methodology followed to curate the list of jobs
The LinkedIn Economic Graph research team examined millions of job positions that LinkedIn users introduced. The research encompassed millions of job positions from January 2018 to July 2022. A list with growth rates for each role came into existence.
Qualifications included in the rankings showed significant growth among all LinkedIn users and substantially grew during 2022. Skills that were identical across different levels of seniority were grouped and ranked together. Excluded were internships, volunteer experience, temporary and student roles, and positions where recruitment was related to a small number of companies.
About the data
Additional data for each job comes from LinkedIn profiles of users who held the job title and/or open positions for that role in the country.
To determine the most prevalent skills, the team examined the core competencies that distinguished each job among users who had it on LinkedIn.
The category “most represented industries” was calculated by examining the industry of the companies that hired the most users for each occupation from January 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022.
The percentage of gender distribution came from the number of users (sorted by gender) currently identified in each job position (as long as significant gender data were present) as a percentage of total users of known gender for each occupation. Average years of experience were determined using the average years of work experience of users hired within the time period of the methodology before holding the position considered. Most frequent positions previously held were determined by the percentage of transitions from another occupation to the job position considered within the past five years. Data on the ability to work remotely are based on vacancies posted from October 2021 to October 2022 and marked as “remote” by the bidder or containing similar keywords.
Wrapping up
And so, dear friend, we find ourselves in a world where finding employment in the enchanting lands of Italy can be a formidable challenge. Yet, fear not, for the advantage of knowing what the job market desires is a valuable treasure, one that can lead you to great success.
Should you possess a profile suited to any of these in-demand positions, I send you my best wishes like a gentle breeze guiding you to your dreams. And for those who seek to refine their Italian language skills, though not mandatory for many of these jobs, a link to a free Italian course is provided. Click here to polish your Italian language skills and reach for the stars.
