Internships are on the decline amongst young people, but are on the rise for the over-55s
For almost thirty years, work placements have been one of the main gateways into the labour market for the younger generations. In recent years, however, the use of this scheme has fallen significantly: in 2025, 275,000 extracurricular work placements were set up, representing a 2 per cent decrease compared with 2024 and a 17 per cent decrease compared with 2021 (-55,344). The decline was mainly recorded in the North (-24 per cent), with a particularly sharp fall in the industrial sector (-31 per cent).
Looking even further back, the decline in the scheme becomes even more apparent: in 2017, when the highest number of placements was recorded, there were around 370,000 work placements per year – almost 100,000 more than the latest figure from last year.
It was in 2017, under the Gentiloni government, that the guidelines on extracurricular work placements were adopted, and subsequently implemented by the individual regions. The aim was to introduce stricter rules and combat the misuse of work placements, as set out in the European recommendations. The most recent update on this matter dates from June this year: the amendment tabled by Luigi Marattin (Libdem) to the 1 May Decree (No. 62/2026, converted into Law No. 112/2026) introduced a 12-month limit on extracurricular work placements within the same corporate group.
The gradual tightening of the regulations has certainly contributed to the decline in the number of placements, but it is not the only factor. The target group for extracurricular work experience – comprising mainly young people seeking work – has also shrunk, partly as a result of the demographic decline: between 2021 and 2025, youth employment among 15–34-year-olds rose from 41 per cent to 43.9 per cent (+352,000 in employment), whilst youth unemployment fell from 17.9 per cent to 11.6 per cent (-381,000 unemployed). The proportion of NEETs – young people who are not in employment, education or training, and who are one of the main targets of labour market integration policies – also fell from 24.4 per cent to 15.6 per cent (among 15–34-year-olds).
Some businesses would therefore have preferred to recruit new staff directly, without going through intermediate training programmes.
