Italian Restaurant Wages Rise 3%

In Italy’s restaurant industry, wages are rising even as employers struggle to keep workers. New data released ahead of the country’s annual Day of Hospitality on May 16 show that pay in the sector increased 3% between the first quarter of 2025 and the same period in 2026, outpacing the 2% increase set out in the national tourism and public establishments labor contract.

The figures come from Restworld, a human resources technology platform focused on restaurants, which analyzed 4,919 job postings across all Italian regions from April 2024 through March 2026. The group said the average net monthly pay for cooks and waiters was €1,731 over 12 monthly payments. It argued that this gives a more accurate picture of earnings in the sector than some official labor statistics, which it said can be distorted by seasonal contracts, very short part-time schedules and workers with only a few paid days in a year.

Luca Lotterio, chief executive and co-founder of Restworld, said the observatory was created because a more precise analysis of restaurant wages was needed. He said the only widely used benchmark had been an Inps labor observatory figure that put average annual pay at €11,233 for private-sector workers. Restworld said that number has helped fuel the idea that restaurant jobs pay poverty-level wages, but that it is misleading because it includes all types of contracts, counts workers who may have had only one paid day in a year and is based on an average of 183 working days, compared with 247 days nationally.

The group also said the Inps data covers the broader “accommodation and restaurant” category rather than restaurants alone. That distinction matters in Italy, where hotels and food service are often grouped together in official statistics even though their labor patterns differ sharply.

The wage gains have not solved the industry’s staffing problems. Restaurant owners across Italy continue to report difficulty hiring and retaining employees, especially in kitchens and front-of-house roles that require long hours, weekend shifts and work during holidays. The sector has been trying to respond with higher pay and better conditions, but operators say those changes have not yet been enough to reverse turnover or attract enough new workers.

The issue has become more urgent as restaurants prepare for one of their symbolic industry dates, when trade groups and businesses highlight the role of dining in Italy’s economy and culture. Behind the celebrations, however, many employers say they are still facing a labor market shaped by low retention, uneven schedules and competition from other sectors offering more predictable hours.

Restworld’s analysis suggests that wages are moving upward faster than expected under collective bargaining rules, but it also underscores how far the industry remains from solving its structural labor shortage.