Italia needs 840,000 homes for workers (and 235 billion in investment)

Over 25 million workers in Italia live in areas that are economically and employment-wise dynamic. However, this leads to imbalances in the housing market: strong demand, scarce supply and rising prices. This trend will result – between now and 2050 – a housing requirement of 840,000 homes, of which around 540,000 will be for permanent workers and around 300,000 for seasonal workers, requiring investment of over 235 billion euros.

This is the finding of the report by Scenari Immobiliari, in collaboration with Investire Sgr, presented during the 34th industry forum, currently taking place in Rapallo.

The availability of affordable housing has become a strategic infrastructure in its own right. In Italia, in the most dynamic regions – those linked to industry, the service sector and tourism – the constant rise in property prices and the simultaneous decline in supply risk hampering the labour market as well. A clear sign of this tension emerges from the employment figures: whilst businesses planned to take on around 2.87 million new staff in the first half of 2026, they are finding it difficult to fill 44.8 per cent of the roles they are seeking to fill. Against this backdrop, the scarcity of flexible housing solutions that are commensurate with workers’ purchasing power represents a major obstacle to attracting and retaining talent in the country’s manufacturing hubs.

To gauge the true scale of the phenomenon, the analysis carried out in the report by Scenari Immobiliari and Investire Sgr is based on a study of 515 Local Labour Markets. These are territorial groupings that reflect the actual national employment and production catchment areas, making it possible to identify where economic growth generates the greatest demand for housing for workers and families. In Italia, there are over 25.19 million workers living and working within these dynamic areas. This vast pool generates an estimated housing requirement of around 840,000 homes, intended to support the so-called ‘grey zone’, comprising over 4 million households who have an income but are unable to access the private market at current prices and do not meet the eligibility criteria for social housing.

An analysis of the sectoral distribution of housing demand within the Local Labour Markets shows that around 410,000 homes are concentrated in areas predominantly focused on the service sector, which include large cities and metropolitan areas. A further 287,000 homes are attributable to areas heavily specialised in tourism, whilst 110,000 units serve industrial and manufacturing sectors, to which is added a residual share of 30,500 homes linked to primary and agri-food activities. Furthermore, the study breaks down the overall demand into 537,500 permanent workers, who require permanent accommodation for themselves and their families, and 300,000 seasonal workers, whose housing needs are flexible and periodic.