Employment

Work, up to five months to find a chef. Lack of drivers in Lombardy: 3,000 euro bonus offered

More than 340,000 hires are expected in the tourism and catering sector alone, while the Fnm Autoservizi Academy opens its doors to aspiring drivers

by Letizia Giostra

23 April 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Fipe: "Restaurateurs wanted"
Istat: "Highest vacancy rate in Italia"
Lombardy is looking for drivers: here are the requirements

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Boxes to be filled in two distinct sectors: on the one hand there is the world of catering, on the other hand that of transport. Different types of jobs are looking for qualified people to join their team.

In a recent survey, Fipe, the Italian federation of public establishments, uses Istat data to highlight that the vacancy rate in the catering sector is the highest in Italia.

Data that should improve in view of the flood of job offers coming in this spring. For transport, on the other hand, comes Fnm Autoservizi's solution for looking for drivers to recruit in Lombardy.

Fipe: "Restaurateurs wanted"

Waiters, assistant waiters and above all chefs. 51% of restaurateurs are struggling to find wait staff, and the difficulties increase if the professional figure missing from the roll-call is the chef, whose waiting time for someone to stand behind the cooker can be up to five months.

This is the alarm raised by the Fipe, which in its latest report records more than 1 million employees in 2025, down 10.3% from two years ago, or 114,000 jobs.

Istat: "Highest vacancy rate in Italia"

For the statistics agency, there is no mincing words: the vacancy rate in the catering sector is the highest in Italia at 4.8 per cent, almost three times the national average of 1.9 per cent.

Workers, especially young people: this is the identikit of those seeking less undeclared work and more transparency in contracts. They are looking for an employer who recognises their skills.

But the forecasts for new job offers are positive. In fact, Fipe forecasts a flood of new hires for the April-June 2026 quarter, with over 340,000 job opportunities in the tourism and catering sector alone.

Lombardy is looking for drivers: here are the requirements

The shortage of professional figures also concerns the road transport sector. For the new edition of the Academy of Fnm Autoservizi - Lombardy's public road transport company - selections for new drivers are open.

This was announced in a statement issued by the group. The Academy is expected to start by September and the new drivers will be in service on Fnma's lines in the provinces of Como and Varese.

But there are requirements to be met in order to hold the position: the initiative is in fact aimed at people with minimum age of 21.

They will be hired on a fixed-term part-time basis for the duration of the training period, with the aim of obtaining a D and CQC licence (with costs entirely borne by the company) and subsequent conversion to a full-time permanent contract. An entry bonus of EUR 3,000 is also envisaged and the new employee will be required to sign a commitment to remain in service at Fnma for at least three years.