Thus, in Italia, the working life is 33 years, the lowest in the EU
CNA study: only Romania fares worse than us. In Germany, the expected length of working life stands at 40.2 years; in France, 37.5; in Spain, 36.8; and in the Netherlands, it is as high as 44 years.
Key points
Italia is one of the European countries where people live the longest, but also one of those where people spend the fewest years in the labour market. In 2025, according to data from the CNA, the expected length of working life will stand at 33 years – the second lowest figure in the European Union after Romania, and a full four and a half years below the EU average of 37.5 years. Compared with 2024, the improvement is minimal: just over two months, compared with an increase of three months recorded for the European average (last year, Italia stood at 32.8 years, the EU at 37.2).
The gap between us and our competitor countries
That is not all. The gap with the leading European economies remains very wide: the expected working life spans 40.2 years in Germany, 37.5 in France, 36.8 in Spain, and in the Netherlands it is as high as 44 years. And although Italia has made progress compared with ten years ago, the gap with the EU has widened: in 2015, the expected duration was 30.7 years, an increase of 2.3 years over 10 years; but over the same period, the EU average rose from 34.9 to 37.5 years, meaning the gap widened from 4.2 to 4.5 years.
Women’s Back
Another rather concerning statistic relates to women: in Italia, their expected working life is just 28.4 years, compared with the European average of 35.4. The gap between men and women stands at 8.9 years, the widest in the EU. This figure is consistent with a female employment rate that has remained static at 58 per cent – almost thirteen percentage points below the EU average – and with the widest gender employment gap amongst Member States.
What does this indicator mean?
The indicator, explains the CNA, does not measure the retirement age nor the number of years actually worked by those in continuous employment: it estimates the number of years a 15-year-old can expect to spend in the labour force, whether in employment or unemployed, based on current demographic conditions and participation rates. The Italian figure therefore reflects, above all, the late entry of young people into the labour market, discontinuous careers and low female participation, the CNA goes on to explain, emphasising that this picture takes on even greater significance in a country where the median age has reached 49.1 years, those aged over 65 account for almost a quarter of the population and pension expenditure stands at 15.5 per cent of GDP – the highest proportion in the European Union.
Targeted employment policies are needed
“In a rapidly ageing country, leaving such a large proportion of human capital untapped is not only a social problem, but also a structural constraint on growth and the future sustainability of the pension system,” warns CNA President Dario Costantini. According to the Confederation of Artisans, there is therefore a need for “targeted policies for youth and women’s employment, the strengthening of technical and vocational education, apprenticeships, work-life balance, lifelong learning and active ageing”. Furthermore, the CNA adds, it is necessary to “support the transfer of businesses and skills across generations, whilst promoting the role of micro and small enterprises”.
