Portrait of an Italy that has stopped pretending to be happy at work
And yes, you're right: the employment rate in Italy offers hope—albeit timidly—for the near future. In May 2025, it even reached a new record, standing at 62.9% , an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous month. In absolute terms, the number of employed people increased by 93,000 in the quarter from March to May 2025, while the number of inactive people aged 15 to 64 decreased by 172,000. Compared to May 2024, employed people increased by 408,000 , an increase of 1.7%.
Having made the necessary numerical premise, however, a pressing issue remains that too many pretend not to see: Italians are among the most dissatisfied workers in the world . This means that – despite having a job – many wake up every morning burdened by the thought of having to go to work. Stress , lack of prospects , professional and personal stagnation are just some of the reasons for this widespread malaise.
According to a survey conducted by Hays , only 6 out of 10 Italians say they are satisfied with their jobs. This figure puts us at the bottom of a global ranking where the Czech Republic (79%), Thailand (76%), and the United Kingdom (71%) shine. Colombia , Mexico , Ireland , Canada , and other European countries follow. Italy lags behind with 60%, just above the United States (59%) and Portugal (52%).
The problem, however, is not just individual: a dissatisfied workforce means less innovative, less productive companies . A self-perpetuating vicious circle. Today more than ever, people seek—indeed, demand—workplaces that enhance their skills, aspirations, and well-being . Where these elements are lacking, discontent sets in first, then unease.
Ignoring this reality means condemning ourselves to inaction. Instead, businesses and public administration should be guided toward organizational models that take into account people's intangible needs : recognition, work-life balance, and authentic growth paths.
The data from the eighth Eudaimon-Censis report on corporate welfare are unequivocal: especially younger workers are no longer chasing stellar salaries or exclusive benefits . They seek health , peace of mind , and free time . The very concept of wealth has changed, and today it is no longer measured solely in money. Work-life balance is not a privilege: it is perceived as a necessity. Just as feeling valued and valued based on one's abilities is.
How do we put the pieces of a system increasingly deaf to people's needs back together? There's no simple answer. Before seeking solutions, perhaps we should analyze the problem with surgical honesty, avoiding sugar-coated narratives and trying to understand what's really happening. Because the world has changed. Our needs, our rhythms, our way of working, living, and relating have changed. We've developed the habit—a very healthy, if sometimes exasperated, one—of looking within ourselves, asking ourselves if what we do makes us feel good and if something better exists.
We are no longer content. We no longer see the traditional family or home ownership as the ultimate goal. We don't have children by choice, we don't dream of immovable certainties. We are elsewhere. We are something different from the past. And we need a new paradigm to face a tangled present, still unable to find peace between what we were and what we are becoming. Work is a crucial point in this transition. The sooner we understand this—that nothing is as fixed and definitive as it once was—the better it will be for everyone. The world is more flexible, more uncertain, but also, ultimately, more stimulating. Learning to embrace it, generation after generation, is the real challenge.
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