Italy’s hospitality sector plans 72,000 hires in November, down 2.7% from a year earlier

Italian companies in lodging, food service and tourism expect to make 72,000 hires in November, down from 74,000 planned for November 2025, according to the Excelsior survey released on Thursday, November 12, by Unioncamere and Italy’s Ministry of Labor and Social Policies.

The figures point to a 2.7% year-over-year decline in planned hiring in one of the country’s most important service industries. The drop stands out because hiring plans across the Italian economy as a whole moved in the opposite direction. Unioncamere said total planned hiring in all sectors rose 2.1% from a year earlier.

The sector’s November reading was also well below the 94,500 planned hires reported for October. That is a decrease of 22,500 positions, or about 24%, in a month-to-month comparison that is not adjusted for seasonal effects. That kind of decline is not unusual after the high point of summer and early fall travel activity, but the yearly drop suggests weaker expected labor demand than in the same month of 2025.

Even with the decline, lodging, food service and tourism remained the largest source of planned hiring in the survey. Unioncamere said the sector ranked ahead of trade, which accounted for 71,000 expected hires in November. That means hospitality and tourism still represent the biggest hiring engine among the main branches covered by the monthly business survey, even as employers in the industry show less demand than they did a year ago.

The Excelsior survey is closely watched in Italy because it reflects companies’ stated hiring intentions rather than completed payroll gains. That makes it an early sign of how businesses see near-term demand and staffing needs. In this case, the survey suggests that employers tied to hotels, restaurants and tourism services are preparing for a slower November than the one they expected in November 2025, even though labor demand in the broader economy is still growing.

The contrast may matter for Italy because tourism has played a central role in services activity, seasonal employment and local economies across the country. A softer hiring outlook in accommodation and food service can affect not only hotels and restaurants but also transport, leisure and related small businesses that depend on visitor spending. At the same time, the sector’s ability to stay ahead of trade in absolute hiring numbers shows that it remains a major employer despite the pullback.

Unioncamere’s data do not indicate actual job creation or layoffs. They measure how many additions companies say they expect to make during the month. That distinction is important in sectors such as tourism, where hiring can change quickly with booking trends, weather, holidays and business confidence. The November release therefore offers a snapshot of employer sentiment at the start of the month rather than a final count of jobs added.

The November figures were based on the latest Excelsior release published on Thursday, November 12. The comparison with October draws on the survey published on October 19, while the year-earlier comparison refers to the November 2025 release published on November 17, 2025.